SustainAbility project Guideline
1. Purpose of the call
This call aims to promote the culture of sustainability among undergraduate, master's or PhD
students of any university through a project in which sustainability can be taken into account from
different aspects, such as economic, environmental, social or business sustainability.
2. Introduction
Seed breeding, a crucial part of agriculture, focuses on developing new plant varieties with
improved traits, such as higher yield, disease resistance, and better nutritional content.
This field has evolved from traditional methods of breeding used for centuries to modern
techniques, including biotechnology, which have significantly accelerated the process.
Today, seed breeding faces numerous challenges due to climate change, population growth, and
resource scarcity. Since plant varieties developed today will be the basis for future agricultural
practices, sustainability in seed breeding aims to create plant varieties that meet current
agricultural needs and secure future generations' well-being.
3. Problem statement
Seed breeding companies face a variety of sustainability challenges:
• Genetic erosion: The loss of genetic diversity in crops due to the dominance of a few highyielding
varieties.
• Resource-intensive practices: the high consumption of resources such as water or
fertilizers.
• Intellectual Property Rights: Problems related to the protection and use of improved
varieties.
• Climate resilience: the need to develop varieties that can withstand extreme and changing
weather conditions.
• Farmers' rights: the protection and recognition of farmers' rights in the use of improved
seeds.
• Biodiversity conservation: the need to maintain and promote genetic diversity in crops.
• Consumer preferences and market demand: adapting to changing consumer preferences
and market demands.
To meet these challenges, innovative solutions are needed.
4. Project objectives
The aim of this competition is to find innovative solutions to the sustainability challenges faced by
seed breeding companies today. We are faced with different types of sustainability:
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Economic sustainability: Best practices for running a business with minimal waste. An example includes practices that support long-term economic growth without negatively impacting the social, environmental and cultural aspects of the company: renewable energy consumption or energy saving, water treatment devices, waste recycling, reduction of CO2 emissions...
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Environmental sustainability: Operations that do not compromise the environment: recycling, eco-friendly practices, sensors for lighting, increasing the useful life of products/devices...
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Business sustainability: Ability of a company to operate efficiently and responsibly considering economic, environmental and social aspects, ensuring the well-being of future present generations: use of gene editing techniques to improve seeds in a precise manner, implement ethical practices in the development and marketing of new varieties, offer resources to the agricultural sector on sustainable practices, to analyse the environmental, social and economic impact of the new varieties...
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Social sustainability: Proactive management that recognises the importance of relationships with employees, communities, society and the value chain: well-being, diversity, community commitment, empowerment, gender equality, value creation...
The project does not have to focus on a specific type of sustainability, but they can be taken as a reference and basis for its development.
5. Eligibility and Participation
All students enrolled at the University (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD) during the 2024/25 academic year can participate in this competition. No specific bachelor's or master's degrees are required to participate.
6. Evaluation criteria
The projects presented will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Innovation and creativity: originality of the project.
2. Scientific rigour: the scientific basis and validity of the proposed solution.
3. Practical applicability: the feasibility and practicality of implementing the solution.
4. Environmental Impact: the possible positive effect on the environment.
5. Social and Economic Benefits: the general benefits for society and the economy.
7. Resources and Support
Guidance will be offered for participants during the opening period of the competition so that they can ask questions or solve doubts. For further assistance or inquiries, please contact via email: proyectoideas@enzazaden.es
8. Presentation of the project
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Proposals can be presented individually or in teams (maximum 4 people).
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A student may only participate in one of the categories (individual or team), although there is no limit to the number of proposals submitted in the chosen category.
The presentation will be made in several stages:
Stage 1: Candidates or groups will have to send their proposals in a Word or pdf document that does not exceed 1500 words, or in a video format that does not exceed 3 minutes. Proposals can
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be submitted until 31/01/2025 inclusive. The document can be uploaded through the website https://www.enzazaden.com/es via the Enza Zaden Talent form
Stage 2: An internal jury of the company will evaluate all the projects submitted and will select in March 2025 those that it considers appropriate according to the evaluation criteria. After the jury's deliberation, the members of the selected projects will be contacted so that they can prepare a detailed presentation of the same.
Stage 3: The members of the selected projects will be invited to the facilities of Enza Zaden Centro de Investigación S.L. in Santa María del Águila (Almería) in April, where they must present it with a maximum time of 20 minutes per project. For the presentation, the resources considered appropriate to describe and develop the ideas may be used, which must include an elaboration of the idea, objectives and implementation planning.
Stage 4: Finally, the jury will select, based on the established criteria, the winning project in each of the categories.
9. Awards
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First prize per team: 2000€
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First individual prize: 1000€
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Second prize group prize: 300€
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Individual prize runner-up: €200
The prizes may be void if the Enza Zaden jury determines it based on the quality of projects.
Along with these prizes, the winners of the competition will have the possibility to carry out their idea within the company whenever possible and after a feasibility study by the company.
It is important to note that sustainability in seed breeding involves not only scientific advances, but also ethical considerations, commitment to the community, and long-term impact.
Welcome to Enza Zaden Talent!
