For anyone with a focus on sustainability in robotics, good news comes in two parts this month. In order of timing, the first good news is that the deadline has been extended for applications for the Sustainability Leadership Recognition in Robotics programme, which was first introduced last year. The new deadline will be Sunday 23 February and entrants will have until the final minute (23.59 CET) on that day to send in their submission. The second piece of good news is that the prize for winning has become even more attractive, with the possibility of financial assistance to come to this year’s ERF in Stuttgart, thanks to ARIA, the UK’s research and development funding agency.
The aim is to give under-represented groups an equality of access that may not otherwise be possible because of a lack of finance. The Recognition programme text explains: “Many talented individuals in robotics face barriers to participation due to financial constraints, limiting diversity and innovation in the field. This initiative supports under-represented groups by providing opportunities to engage, contribute, and thrive in the robotics community.”
Full details about general eligibility for the award and how to enter are given in this link: Sustainability Leadership Recognition in Robotics . Thanks to the new ARIA Travel Awards, two selected applicants will have the chance to receive a 500 Euro travel award supported by ARIA. The two applicants will also receive free access tickets (one each) to the European Robotics Forum 2025 supported by euRobotics.
As euRobotics director Franziska Kirstein explained at last year’s ceremony, the Sustainability Leadership Recognition in Robotics initiative celebrates innovations in robotics that contribute significantly to environmental, social and economic sustainability. The focus, she said, was in two parts: how robots can support sustainability and how robots can be produced and used sustainably. From this came three recognition categories. The first was to support sustainability in robotics through a specific initiative. Within this category, presentations were made in Rimini last year for the Sustainable Robotics Initiative and Angsa Robotics x Rokit. The second category was for making use of an existing robot solution to support sustainability, and here recognition was given to Re-FMS by KU Leuven. Finally, three initiatives were profiled for the category ‘Developing a robot to support sustainability’. These were: Plato by United Robotics Group; Maelstrom by Tecnalia, and VIGO Pilot by PIAP. In next month’s newsletter we hope to bring news of this year’s shortlist. Beyond that, there’s only one way to be sure of knowing who will be among this year’s winners. See for yourself – come to ERF 2025 in Stuttgart!