The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is now accepting proposals for its 2020 Student Research Competition. The goal of the 2020 Student Research Competition is to assist talented students, working in groups under the guidance of a professor, to focus on a relevant research question, and create an engaging output as a response. Research proposals should directly relate to the 2020 topic of “Sustainable Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.” Proposals can come from any topic/discipline. It is up to the students to interpret the theme, and outline how their research will address it, including how the funds will be used to support the intended outcome. The ultimate objective of this award is to give students of any discipline the opportunity to conduct high-quality academic research on a topic they are particularly interested in, under the guidance of a professor.

Award

The award for this competition will be provided by the Funding Sponsor in the amount of $20,000, paid in two installments of $10,000. CTBUH will facilitate the transfer of funds to the appropriate university or professor involved with this project to support the students in their research activities. The budget cannot be used to cover costs to attend the CTBUH conference and collect the award, or to disseminate the findings at conferences, symposiums, etc. It needs to be used for the actual research in some way.

Eligibilities 

• All applications must be submitted in English. All proposals should include information/details necessary for the jury to understand the research ideas and anticipated outcomes.
• Applications will be accepted from either student, as individuals or groups, or Ph.D. candidates.
• In both cases, a professor of the belonging faculty will act as a primary student advisor.
• The academic professional must represent public or private institutions that can effectively carry out the research (i.e., non-institutional, individual private submissions will not be accepted).
• Each student or team can submit only one research proposal.
• The submitter or team members do not need to be CTBUH members, however, it is expected that the award recipient(s) will become CTBUH members and get involved in the activities of the Council more generally.
• Team projects may have as many students that are deemed necessary but must designate one academic professional who will serve also as the communication liaison with the CTBUH.

Selection Criteria

• Quality of the proposed research topic objectives, appeal of the topic, and methodology. (20 points)
• Experience and aptitude of the advisor and students to deliver on the project and to produce interesting output. (20 Points)
• Relevance, novelty, and suitability for the result to be published in the form determined by the submitter. (20 Points)
• Justification of project support expenses for which funds will be used. (20 points)
• Awareness of research limitations and timeline. (10 points)
• Clarity of the written proposal including proper use of grammar. (10 points)