Applications open Tuesday through July 7 for university students and early-career researchers; competition expands beyond fine dust to cover all areas of atmospheric environment
The National Institute of Environmental Research, under the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, announced Tuesday it will hold the 2026 Atmospheric Environment Research Competition, with applications open from Tuesday through July 7.
Organized by the institute and administered by the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment, the competition seeks creative research ideas on a range of atmospheric issues, including the use of environmental satellites, identifying the causes of high-concentration ozone formation and fine dust management.
Now in its fourth year since launching in 2021, this year's competition expands its scope beyond fine dust to cover the full range of atmospheric environment topics. The institute plans to encourage broader research participation and identify outstanding work on issues such as environmental satellite data utilization, climate change and carbon neutrality.
Held under the theme "Opening the Future of Atmospheric Environment with Data," the competition will accept research proposals, conduct a first-round document review and then a final presentation evaluation, with eight outstanding entries to be selected in total.
A panel of expert judges will determine the final winners at the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment's annual academic conference in Daegu on Oct. 28, with an awards ceremony scheduled for the following day, Oct. 29.
The National Institute of Environmental Research plans to provide expert advisory support and academic activity assistance to help winning entries develop into actual research projects and generate scholarly results.
University students, graduate students and early-career researchers who wish to participate may apply through the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment's website, where detailed competition schedules are also available.
Seong Ji-won, head of the institute's Atmospheric Environment Research Division, said the competition "will serve as an important opportunity to discover the creative ideas of next-generation researchers who will lead future atmospheric environment research." He added that the institute would "continue to expand the research base for addressing a wide range of environmental challenges, including environmental satellites, ozone and fine dust."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
