A high-ranking jury of experts honoured 25 young researchers from 21 different countries as Green Talents. Awarded annually since 2009, this year's winners were selected out of 837 applicants from 97 countries. These awardees represent tomorrow's leading scientists in the field of sustainable development.

The prestigious award comprises an invitation to participate in the “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development”, a two-week trip to Germany’s sustainability hot spots. During this Science Forum, the awardees not only gained insights into the country’s innovation locations and its research institutes and universities, but also into funding opportunities for their own research projects. Moreover, the Green Talents got a chance to exchange their ideas and approaches to sustainability among each other as well as with leading experts in their respective specialised fields during individual appointments.

2019 marks the ten-year anniversary of the programme under the motto ‘Smart Green Planet – Solutions for a Sustainable Future’. To celebrate this anniversary, the Science Forum ended this year with a major Networking Conference in Berlin, where the Green Talents 2019 received their award and an appreciation of their work by Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Michael Meister at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Berlin on 24 October 2019 attended by further distinguished German experts from the field of sustainability research, selected Green Talents alumni, international news media representatives as well as ambassadors and representatives of the awardees’ home countries.

Further information about the 2019 awardees, their research foci and individual motivation can be found in their profiles.