The Quanser Global Sustainability Award recognizes innovative educational initiatives that equip engineering students with the skills to address global sustainability challenges and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Now in its 5th edition, the award celebrates educators and institutions that are shaping the future of sustainable engineering.
• $5,000 USD prize
• Conference participation at WEEF & GEDC 2026
• Global recognition for sustainability-focused engineering education
Submission Due: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 session
Engineering plays a critical role in addressing global challenges such as:
• Climate change
• Resource efficiency
• Waste reduction
• Sustainable infrastructure
• Responsible technology development
To prepare the next generation of engineers, sustainability must be integrated into engineering education.
For more than 30 years, Quanser has supported engineering educators worldwide with hands-on learning technologies. Through the Global Sustainability Award, Quanser recognizes initiatives that help students develop the knowledge, technical skills, and professional mindset needed to create sustainable solutions.
In 2026, the Quanser Global Sustainability Award marks its 5th edition, highlighting Quanser’s continued commitment to advancing sustainability in engineering education.
Over the past five years, the award has:
• Recognized sustainability-focused engineering education initiatives from universities across the world
• Encouraged integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into engineering curricula
• Showcased innovative projects that combine engineering expertise with real-world sustainability impact
• Strengthening a global community of educators committed to preparing students to address sustainability challenges
As the award enters its fifth year, Quanser looks forward to supporting even more initiatives that inspire students to build a more sustainable future.
The award is open to universities and educators developing initiatives that:
• Support undergraduate or master’s-level engineering education
• Address one or more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Demonstrate innovation in engineering teaching and learning
• Show measurable impact on students’ understanding of sustainability
• Have potential to be replicated or scaled across institutions
Examples include:
• sustainability-focused engineering courses
• experiential learning initiatives
• interdisciplinary sustainability programs
• engineering projects addressing environmental challenges
The winning initiative will receive:
• $5,000 USD Cash Prize, recognizing impactful contributions to sustainability in engineering education
• Conference Participation, one complimentary registration to WEEF & GEDC 2026, including:
o round-trip economy airfare
o three-night hotel accommodation
• International Visibility, winning initiatives will be recognized by Quanser, GEDC, and IFEES as leading examples of sustainability-focused engineering education
Applications are submitted through the web-based application form.
Applicants must provide:
1. Project Description: Describe the initiative and its impact. Maximum 1,000 words
2. Evaluation Criteria Responses: Explain how the initiative meets each evaluation criterion. Maximum 200 words per criterion
3. Letter of Nomination: Signed by the nominator (handwritten or digital signature accepted).
Optional: Applicants may submit a short video (up to 3 minutes) presenting their initiative.
Applications are assessed based on educational impact and sustainability outcomes.
• Educational Impact
o Awareness of Sustainability Challenges: demonstrates how the initiative helps students understand environmental, economic, and societal sustainability challenges.
o Technical Knowledge and Skills, Evidence that students apply engineering knowledge to sustainability problems.
o Professional Skills for Sustainability, Development of Collaboration, Communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
o Student Engagement, Impact on students’ motivation and long-term interest in sustainability.
• Community Impact
o Scalability and Transferability, potential for adoption across other universities, disciplines, or regions.
o Tangible Sustainability Impact, clear potential to contribute to measurable sustainability improvements.
Applications Open: Today Submission
Due: June 30, 2026
Winner Announcement: Sept 22-25, 2026, during the WEEF & GEDC 2026
Before submitting, confirm that:
☐ Application form completed
☐ Letter of Nomination attached
☐ Required fields completed
☐ Supplementary materials included (if applicable) Eligibility confirmations:
☐ Nominator is a current GEDC and/or IFEES member
☐ Nominee is not a GEDC or IFEES executive committee member
Quanser is delighted to announce that the 2025 Quanser Global Sustainability Award, presented in partnership with the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES) and the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC), has been awarded to Dr. Marjan Eggermont.
The award ceremony took place on September 24th, 2025, in Daegu, South Korea, during the WEEF &GEDC 2025.
Quanser, in collaboration with IFEES and GEDC, is thrilled to announce the recipient of the prestigious Quanser Global Sustainability Award 2025. This annual accolade celebrates exceptional academics and researchers dedicated to pioneering sustainable engineering practices.
Dr. Marjan Eggermont, BA, BFA, MFA, PhD, is a Professor (Teaching) and, until recently, Associate Dean of Sustainability in the Schulich School of Engineering (SSE). In addition, she held the roles of co-director for the UNU Hub at UCalgary, SDSN Canada co-chair (research), and academic co-leads for Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability in the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship.
She is a Biomimicry Institute Fellow and has been working in the field of bio-inspired design since 2004 with a focus on visualization and abstraction. She co-founded and designs Zygote Quarterly (zqjournal.org), an online bio-inspired design journal to showcase the nexus of science and design. She served on the board of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) from 2014-2017 and was inducted into the 2023 ASEE Hall of Fame. She recently received the 2025 Top 25 Women of Influence+ Canada Award.
Award-Winning Project:
Title: Sustainable Systems Engineering (SUSE) undergraduate program
Dr. Eggermont was recognized for her leadership in the development of the ‘Sustainable Systems Engineering (SUSE) undergraduate program’ at the University of Calgary. This innovative program represents a reimagining of engineering education for the 21st century, embedding sustainability, systems thinking, and ecological responsibility at the core of engineering curricula.
Through SUSE, Dr. Eggermont has created a platform that equips future engineers with the tools and mindset to tackle complex global challenges — from climate change to resource management — with creativity, responsibility, and purpose.
Why This Matters
By pioneering this transformative approach, Dr. Eggermont exemplifies the mission of the Quanser Global Sustainability Award: empowering engineers and educators to build a more sustainable and resilient future.
“Dr. Eggermont’s work is a shining example of how engineering education can be reshaped to meet the challenges of our time. At Quanser, we believe that sustainability must be at the heart of innovation, and the SUSE program demonstrates exactly how this vision can be realized. We are proud to recognize her achievements and to support global initiatives that inspire the next generation of engineers to create meaningful change.”
— Paul Gilbert, CEO, Quanser
We extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. Eggermont on this well-deserved recognition!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh-pTwzllvI&t=2s
Recognition Ceremony:
Dr. Eggermont was formally recognized during the GEDC & WEEF 2025 Awards Ceremony on Sept 21-25 in Daegu, South Korea. We extend our heartfelt congratulations on her remarkable achievement and look forward to her continued contributions to global sustainability.
The Quanser Global Sustainability Award seeks to encourage innovative initiatives in engineering education that equip students with the tools to explore and advance sustainable engineering methods.
Eligible projects focus on undergraduate or master’s-level education and demonstrate:
Individual and team nominations are welcomed, promoting diverse approaches to achieving a sustainable future. To address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution, the circular economy requires effective systems and solution frameworks. To improve every element of our global technological and economic systems, the engineering community must transform our practices.
As engineering designers, we need to work together to answer the question: how can we design products that support the principles of sustainability, such as re-use, repair, re-manufacture, and recycling?
For more than three decades, Quanser has been supporting engineering education. We are proud to partner with the academic community to promote sustainability concepts in the field of engineering education. Dozens of students and professors from universities and colleges around the world have participated in the Quanser Global Sustainability Award over the past few years, showcasing promising projects and impressive practical results in a variety of fields.
Together with the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC), and the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), we look forward to continuing to support high-quality education with the Quanser Global Sustainability Awards 2024! THE MISSION: The Quanser Global Sustainability Award encourages the development of initiatives that prepare students to discover and develop sustainable engineering methods throughout their careers.
THE ELIGIBILITY: Any initiative focused on developing undergraduate or master’s-level engineering skills to tackle one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The initiative must be innovative and include a demonstrable alignment to learning outcomes. In addition, the initiative must have a measurable impact on the student’s understanding of sustainability and have the potential to be transferrable and scalable, to ensure that it can expand to enhance the learning of future generations. For more information please check the website: https://www.quanser.com/community/sustainability-award/
We are honored to announce that our Rising to the Top book series has added TWO new volumes!
Rising to the Top provides an intimate and inspiring look into the experiences that have shaped the lives and careers of women engineering leaders from around the world. By openly sharing their personal journeys in these pages, the authors hope to not only inspire the next generation of engineering leaders, but also provide valuable insight into the challenges facing women engineers around the world, and the opportunities that are theirs for the taking.
