We are pleased to invite applications to the Upcell Young Scientist Award 2026!
The award aims to
(i) Celebrate and support early stage researchers who have significantly contributed to the scientific progress in the battery sector in 2026;
(ii) Provide additional visibility to young researchers’ work within the battery community, and to support their potential future engagement within the battery industry.
Admissibility Criteria
Submissions should include :
(i) An extended abstract of the PhD thesis, in English (max 1000 words);
(ii) A short CV, in English, including a list of the scientific publications;
(iii) Nomination letter from PhD supervisor, in English;
(iv) Application form filled-in. All documents must be submitted in PDF format.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
(i) Be a PhD student or recent PhD graduate – thesis completed between January 2026 and December 2026.
(ii) Having completed thesis research activities focused on relevant topics for the battery industry.
(iii) Express willingness and availability to present the thesis work at the Upcell Alliance event, on April 8th, in Lisbon, Portugal, if pre-selected by the Evaluation Committee.
Pre-selection Criteria
(i) Potential impact of the presented work on the battery sector (50%);
(ii) Originality, scientific rigor and innovation degree with respects to battery manufacturing (50%).
Application Deadline
The deadline for submission is March 19th , 2026. Late applications will not be considered.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible.
For inquiries and submission, please contact: contact@upcell.org
Review and Pre-selection Process
Upon reception of applications, a review period of two weeks will follow. Upon completion of the evaluation process by the Upcell Scientific Committee, acting as Evaluation Committee, three pre-selected applicants will be invited to pitch their work during the Upcell Alliance event on April 8th, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal. Pre-selection results will be communicated via email.
Pitches Structure
Three slots, of 10 minutes each, will be organised, on April 8th, 2026, as follows
– 7 minutes of pitch – using the provided template ;
– 3 minutes of Q&A.
Following the latter, the event attendees will vote for the most impactful pitches.
Award
The prize for the award is 1,000 €.
We look forward to receiving your applications and recognizing the next generation of battery leading scientists!
