FEICA, the association representing the European adhesive and sealant industry, and EURADH, the biannual European conference on adhesion and related phenomena, are delighted to announce the fourth edition of their joint award for adhesion science. The Award for Innovative Adhesion Science aims to stimulate the interactions between industrial and scientific activities in adhesion science. The award is funded by FEICA and presented at the FEICA and EURADH conferences.
Applications are invited from young researchers working in adhesion science in Europe who have published outstanding work. This includes Master’s students, PhD (Doctoral) students, post-docs, junior Professors and researchers associated with universities, research institutes or companies. The scope and possible topics are identical to the main topics here: https://euradh2027.com/Topics.
The EURADH/FEICA Adhesion Innovation Award is a great opportunity for both EURADH and FEICA to foster ties between industrial and scientific activities and to raise awareness of the outstanding contribution our sector’s innovators make towards a circular economy and a better world.
The Award Winners
The award winner will have the opportunity to present his or her work at the annual FEICA Conference and EXPO, which will take place in Genova, from 15-17 September 2027, and at the EURADH/ EURADH Congress in 2027, which will take place in Toulouse, France, from 3-5 November 2027.
A prize of €3,000 and a certificate will be awarded to the winner. In addition, the participation fee for the two conferences will be waived and travel costs and accommodation for the winner and, if applicable, their supervisor, will be refunded (flight bookings after agreement with FEICA; the total amount of the extra expenses are not to exceed €2,000). The second-place winner will receive €1,500 and a certificate, while the third-place winner will receive €1,000 and a certificate.
2025 Award Winners
The 4th edition of the AIA took place during the 2025 FEICA Conference & EXPO in San Sebastian, Spain, and awarded the first prize to Adrià Roig Gibert, Ghent University, for his innovation on ‘Structural Reversible Adhesives: Towards High Adhesion and Enhanced Circularity’ (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona).
The second prize went to Nidal Del Valle Raydan, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA), with ‘Innovative Keratin-Based Wood Adhesive for Sustainable Applications’ (University of Pau and the Adour Region, UPPA, Mont-de-Marsan, France).
Jan-Marten Sprenger, IFAM Bremen, was awarded the third prize for his project on ‘Anticipatory sustainability assessment framework for material development demonstrated on material selection for bio-based benzoxazine synthesis’.
Past Award Winners
AIA 2018 was won by Dr René Hensel for his paper on ‘Composite pillars with a tunable interface for adhesion to rough substrates’.
The second EURADH/FEICA Adhesion Innovation Award (AIA 2020) was won by Dr Elisa Arikan for her paper on ‘Structural adhesive bonding of polymers - Surface characteristics and adhesion mechanism’.
The 2022 edition of the award was moved to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The third Award (AIA 2023) was won by Mr Marvin Kaufmann for his publication on ‘How adhesives flow during joining’.
Evaluation Criteria
- How the three topics in the one-page application are addressed:
- Summary of the work and results
- Scientific impact in the specific field / in adhesion science
- Relevance of the work, highlighting benefits to the circular economy, society, economy, sustainability, environment and/or industry.
- Impact on adhesion science and technology.
- Scientific quality of the work.
- Applicant’s own contribution and degree of independence, taking the specific degree of education of the applicant into account.
The 2027 Jury
The submissions are reviewed and evaluated by a jury consisting of EURADH representatives.
