The Next Generation Award will recognize young professionals from ISO members who are championing sustainability-driven standardization and the value of partnerships to tackle issues from a multi­disciplinary perspective.

The Award is sponsored by past ISO President, Dr Zhang Xiaogang, to promote sustainable development and raise the enthusiasm, creativity and active participation of emerging leaders in the standardization industry.

The Award

The Award is an opportunity for both the candidate and the ISO Member, as the awardee will gain increased knowledge,  experience and contacts in international standards that will contribute to the building of capacity within the ISO member organization that they work for. 

The Award will include a:

  • Secondment opportunity to ISO/CS (based in Geneva, Switzerland) for a period of six months*
  • Dedicated mentor at ISO/CS throughout the secondment period
  • Scholarship covering the awardee's travel and living expenses while in Geneva. 

*The candidate's salary will need to be maintained by their employer during the secondment period.

Selection Criteria

Candidates must meet the following criteria for their application to be considered: 

  1. Be a staff employee working at an ISO Member;
  2. Be the age of 18 - 35 at the time of applying;
  3. Demonstrate relevant experience in standards development work related to sustainability;
  4. Their current role must involve collaboration and working with partners (i.e. other ISO members, government ministries, international organizations, SDOs, etc.);
  5. Be able to demonstrate proficiency in English;
  6. Include a statement by the candidate's employer indicating their support of the candidate, their commitment to maintain the candidate's salary during the secondment at ISO/CS in Geneva, as well as their commitment to employ the person at the end of their secondment;
  7. Provide a CV and motivation letter.
     

Timeline

Applications are open 1 March until 5 May 2023.

The winner will be announced at the ISO General Assembly in September 2023 and will be expected to begin their secondment at ISO/CS in early 2024.

How to Apply

Please submit your application: ISO Next Generation Award application.

Questions?

For any questions, please send an email to ISO Capacity Building, capacity@iso.org.

winner of ISO's Next Generation Award

The winner of ISO’s 2021 Next Generation Award is Andia Persad-Maharaj from the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS).

The award recognizes a young professional from a member that is championing sustainability-driven standardization. A design engineer by education, Andia holds the national standards portfolios for energy efficiency, occupational health and safety, and automotive products. She is particularly interested in how to incorporate sustainability into standardization, delivering solutions toward a shared vision for a better world. As an emerging leader in the field of standardization, Andia spent her secondment at ISO/CS from April – October 2022 working in the ISO/CS departments of Capacity Building, Sustainability, and Research and Innovation.

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