The network for the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research (ProSPER.Net) is a network of several leading higher education institutions in Asia and the Pacific that have committed to work together to integrate sustainable development into postgraduate courses and curricula. Member institutions involved have strong education and research programmes in sustainable development and related fields.

Given the strong thematic bounds to the Green Talents initiative, selected awardees were granted the chance to participate in the ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School (YRS) since 2010. Three of the 2011 Green Talents prize winners were selected to join the YRS at the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in September 2012.

The main goal of the Young Researchers' School is to provide graduate students and young post-doctoral researchers with an opportunity to better understand the spectrum of challenges that underpin sustainable development. By assembling these young scientists together for an intensive two-week workshop, the school fosters the growth of a network of sustainability scholars and professionals in the Asia-Pacific region. The theme of the 2012 school was ‘Building a Resilient Society in Asia.’ Discussions focused on policies and projects involving health and well-being, poverty eradication, social entrepreneurship, urban development and disaster management. Learn more about the workshop here and watch the video documentary of the participants’ interesting time in Indonesia.

Another part of the programme is the ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award in Sustainable Development. The award is given annually to young scientists or researchers, based in the Asia-Pacific region, who have made significant contributions in the area of Sustainable Development. For 2012, awards were given in the fields of Sustainable Infrastructure, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Health with a Focus on Poverty Eradication.

Dr Rajeev Pratap Singh of Banaras Hindu University in India and Green Talent 2011, received the award as first runner up in the category “Sustainable Consumption and Production” for his work in agricultural utilization of organic waste.