European Research Prize
European Research Prize supports faculty-led teams in Europe studying AI, the built environment, and human agency to connect academic inquiry with practice and advance equitable, human-centered futures.
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Funder: SOM Foundation
Due Dates: December 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST (Application)
Funding Amounts: One €20,000 prize annually; research expected to take one year
Summary: Supports faculty-led interdisciplinary research in Europe on AI, the built environment, and human agency, connecting academic inquiry with professional practice.
Key Information: Lead faculty must currently teach in an eligible professionally accredited European program, with research developed through an academic studio and/or seminar.
Description
The SOM Foundation established the European Research Prize in 2021 as an expansion of its US-based Research Prize. The annual award supports original interdisciplinary research linking academic inquiry with professional practice. Teams bring faculty and students together with collaborators from other disciplines, professional practice, nonprofit organizations, and/or communities.
The 2026 framework, “AI, the Built Environment, and Human Agency,” explores how artificial intelligence is transforming buildings, infrastructure, public space, and urban services. It asks what spatial, social, and environmental conditions emerge as machine intelligence becomes embedded in the physical world, and where human agency in design remains necessary. Research should consider how architects, engineers, and planners can help these transformations contribute to more equitable, resilient, and human-centered futures. Winning teams must document their findings and develop conclusions or suggestions for professional practice.
