FNI wins prize: best European think tank on energy and environment
In what has been labelled 'the Oscars of think tanks', the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) has been awarded the prize for “best European think tank” in the field of energy and environment.
The Think Tank Awards 2017, which took place Monday night 10 July at the Institute of Directors in London, are presented annually by the UK-based Prospect Magazine. They are considered among Europe’s most prestigious quality ratings of independent research institutions and academic think tanks across the globe.
'This award has been referred to both as the Michelin stars of policy research and as the Oscars of think tanks, and we are of course really happy and honored to have been ranked at the very top', says FNI Director Geir Hønneland.
The Think Tank Awards have four categories: economic and financial, social policy, energy and environment, and international affairs, and separate awards are given for think tanks in the UK, US and Europe respectively. Nomination criteria include a “coherent selection of topics of importance, innovative and plausible policy prescription, rigor of analysis, influence on politics, influence on media and wider impact and convening power”.
The Arctic and the Anthropocene
FNI, nominated as best European think tank in both the category of energy and environment and in international affairs, was commended by the jury for its high quality research within environmental politics in general, and for its work related to climate policies in the Arctic and the Anthropocene in particular. The jury also applauded that FNI conducts truly interdisciplinary research.
The jury for the Think Tank Awards consists of representatives from the spheres of politics, business, science and major media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Washington Post and Financial Times.
For more information on the nominees, the award winners and the jury's comments, read Prospect Magazine's coverage from the ceremony.
Prestigious winners
The prize for ‘think tank of the year’ was awarded to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in UK, and the winners in the other award categories include well-known institutions like Chatham House and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Previous winners of the Prospect Think Tank Awards include Brookings, RAND Corporation and Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
Watch the Norwegian Broadcaster's (NRK) TV news clip about the prize.