Join the 2022 Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards! Apply by January 5!

Over the last four decades, we have been witnessing significant economic growth in most parts of the world. At the same time, we are seeing a rise in inequality, an exacerbating climate crisis and a rising sense of disempowerment. This trend can be described as the decoupling of economic prosperity from social prosperity and environmental sustainability.

The Global Solutions Initiative aims to address this trend by generating proposals to better align economic and political activities with environmental sustainability and social prosperity. With the Young Global Changers Recoupling Award we want to honor, and support projects that embody this approach. We want to draw attention to best practices but also learn from them.

Step 1:
Complete the online application form and include all relevant information about your change project. There are no costs associated with the application. For a successful submission the following information and material will need to be provided:

• Personal information (name, email address, place of residence, date and place of birth)
• Project information (name of the project, project description, connection to recoupling)
• Upload of th following documents: 1. CV, 2. project description, 3. short video (max. 5 min)

Step 2:
The selection and evaluation of the projects will be done by a jury. Of all projects submitted, the best will compete in the semi-finals and will be presented on our website, 10  will be selected for the finals. After the semi-finals, all finalists will receive additional information about the next steps.

Step 3:
The 10 finalists will get the opportunity to present their projects in front of a live jury of experts and a global audience at the Global Solutions Summit 2022 on March 28/29 in Berlin. The pitch can be held digitally or on-site. (It will not be a disadvantage if one of the finalists is not able to attend the summit in Berlin in person.)

Here are important tips on how to apply sucessfully.

1. Young entrepreneurs or innovators who have started or are involved in a leading role in a social enterprise that aims at aligning economic activity with environmental sustainability and social prosperity.
2. Young business leaders aiming at changing “business as usual” from the inside (“intrapreneurs”).
3. Young non-profit actors, community organizers, advocacy leaders, campaigners, or implementers of social, economic, or environmental change on a local, regional or even on the global level.

• The project, business or initiative that you apply with needs to aim at recoupling, i.e. a better alignment of economic or political activities with social well-being and environmental sustainability.
• The applicant should have a leading position in the project/initiative they are applying with. (e.g. founder, co-founder, project-lead, initiator or a similar role.)
• The applicant needs to be between the ages of 18 and 35.
• Applicants need to be willing and motivated to become active members of a global network which aims at bringing about lasting global change.

Are you part of such a project or initiative? Are you heading an innovative social start-up? Are you trying to change your organization from the inside? Are you supporting people in need? Are you pushing or advocating for change? Tell us how and apply now!

• Travel expenses to and from Berlin**
• Accommodation for the time of the Global Solutions Summit (three nights, March 27-30, 2022)***
• Free admission to the Global Solutions Summit 2022
• Networking opportunities with great minds from academia, business, politics & civil society
• Access to an exclusive global network of like-minded Young Global Changers
• Possibilities for further engagement

*Please note that all expenses must be paid upfront and will be reimbursed within 6 weeks after the Global Solutions Summit. Do bear in mind that participants are responsible for submitting reimbursement claims. Currency fluctuations may lead to small changes in the total amount reimbursed.

** Costs for train journeys or flights in economy class as well as visa costs can be reimbursed. Additional costs may apply, which will not be covered by the scholarship (this may include local transportation in Berlin, food, health or travel insurance and more).

***The hotel will be arranged and paid for by the Global Solutions Initiative. It will be located in the vicinity of the summit venue.

Please note that traveling to Berlin will only be possible if the local health and security situation allows!

The jury will be composed of renowned experts, familiar with the concept of recoupling. The jury members will be announced before the Global Solution Summit.

– Download “Assessment of Application” as PDF –

Each applicant is required to write a short description of their project or initiative and explain briefly how their activities promote “Recoupling”. Applicants are also required to create a video version of their project presentation (5-minute maximum). The top presentations will move on to the semi-finals and will be presented on the Global Solutions Initiative website.

From these projects, 10 finalists will be selected to present at the Global Solutions Summit on March 28/29 in Berlin. Projects will be evaluated based on the below judging rubric. Your project does not need to address all of the following categories in an equal manner. The jury may choose well-balanced projects that do well in all categories alongside projects that have a strong but well-founded focus on one or a few of the categories above.

1. Presentation

a) Two Short Project Descriptions
Each applicant is expected to provide two short, written description of their projects. The first one is about the project itself, its mission, what you are trying to achieve and how. The second description should address how the project or initiative specifically contributes to recoupling, i.e. to a better alignment of economic or political activities with social needs and environmental sustainability.

b) One Video Pitch
Each applicant is expected to submit a video (five minutes or shorter). The video should underline and visualize an interesting aspect of the initiative or project, this can be a re-statement of the core mission and your aims, but it can also be impressions from the day-to-day work that you do, a customer journey, testimonials, an interview, stakeholder viewpoints or other perspectives. Whatever you think will give the jury and the broader public a good impression of what it is that you do, what you are trying to achieve, how you are going about this and/or how you are contributing to recoupling. You can upload a pre-existing video, an image film or something you produce specifically for the application. You are welcome to use slides, bullet points, photos, animations or other pre-recorded material in the videos. Be creative!

2. Recoupling Approach

From the material that you provide the jury will assess how well your project contributes to a better alignment of economic or political activities with social needs and environmental sustainability. Projects can address both domains, the social as well as the environmental. However, you may choose to emphasize one over the other. As mentioned above the jury may choose well-balanced projects that do well in both domains alongside projects that have a strong but well-founded focus on only one of the two.

a) Social Domain (People-Centered)
How well does the project reflect a people-centric approach? How does it put the needs and voices of their stakeholders, customers, workers and/or communities at the center? What is the aspired and the actual impact on the lives of those who are affected by the project? Who is included/excluded? Which groups benefit, which don’t (different genders, races, and socioeconomic groups)? How well are individuals or groups empowered through the project?

b) Environmental Domain (Circularity and Climate Neutrality/Positivity)
How does the project impact the natural environment, in their communities, regionally and globally, immediately and over time? What is the negative/positive impact on air quality, sanitation, drinking water, waste management, biodiversity, emissions, climate change? Does the project include, promote or provide avenues to a circular production, or more broadly a circular economy?

3. Innovation, Impact and Importance

From the material that you provide the jury will also aim to assess the novelty, innovativeness and uniqueness of the project, its design, or its approach. The jury will also assess if and how the project addresses issues of broader political, societal or environmental importance.

a) Innovative Character
How novel, unique, or original is the project? Does it include new approaches to a known problem, or does it address a specific issue that has previously been neglected?

b) Applicability, Effectiveness and Design
Is the project well-designed to successfully address the problems it aims to tackle? What can we draw, learn from the project, its approach or design?

c) Importance of the Issues and Broader Implications
Does the project address an issue of broader political, societal or environmental importance? How well does it address systemic or structural factors?

– Download “Terms & Conditions” as PDF –

1. INTRODUCTION

By participating in the Young Global Changers Recoupling Award (“YGC Recoupling Award” or “Award”), you agree to the conditions stated in this participation agreement (“Agreement”). Note that “you” or ”your” refers to the interested party or applicant. “We”, “our” or “us” refers to the “Global Solutions Initiative Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH” (“GSIF” or “Organizer”) and its affiliates and partners (collectively referred to as “GSIF”).

The YGC Recoupling Award provides interested parties with the option of competing for certain free services (described in section 6) relating to the Global Solutions Summit 2022 (“summit”), which is organized by the GSIF. In return for the possibility of successfully competing for the services, the interested party leaves the data from his/her application at the disposal of the GSIF. In the following, the term “Agreement” also pertains to the exchange of services and data outlined above.

2. WHAT IS THE YGC PROGRAM?

In 2017, the GSIF launched the Young Global Changers Program (“YGC Program”) which identifies, connects and empowers young people from around the globe who are actively pushing for change in their communities and in different areas of society. Each year a new cohort of Young Global Changers from around the world joins the YGC program. Since 2017, the Young Global Changers program has attracted over 350 students and young professionals from more than 110 different countries.

3. WHAT IS THE YGC RECOUPLING AWARD?

With the YGC Recoupling Award the Global Solutions Initiative wants to recognize and support projects that embody the “recoupling” approach, which describes activities that aim for a better alignment of economic or political activities with social well-being and environmental sustainability. The Award recognizes individuals with leading roles in projects, start-ups, social-businesses, non-profit initiatives or similar organizations that steer economic or political engagement towards the needs of people while aiming for environmental sustainability.

The Award’s competition consists of several rounds.

(a) ROUND 1 “Open Call for applications”

All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria (see 4. (a) below) will become members of a global network of young changemakers (“YGC Extended Circle”) and will be informed regularly about activities, events and opportunities as part of the Global Solutions Initiative’s network.

ROUND 2 “Semi-Finals”

From all entries several semi-finalists will be selected. All semi-finalists will be named “2022 Young Global Changers”. Their projects will be presented on the GSIF website.

ROUND 3 “Finals”

From all semi-finalists, 5-10 finalists will be selected by a jury. The finalists will receive a scholarship which will include a travel-grant to travel to Berlin, Germany to attend the 2022 Global Solutions Summit on March 28 and 29. They will be invited to present their project in front of a jury of renowned experts and a global audience onsite as well as digitally around the world. (For more details see section 6.3).

(b) THE AWARDS

From all finalists, a jury will select 3 winners of the YGC Recoupling Award (“Award winner” or “winner”) who will receive prize money; first prize is €5,000, second prize is €2,000 and third prize is €1,000. (For more details see section 6.4).

4. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

(a) Eligibility Criteria

The following criteria need to be fulfilled by all applicants to be eligible:

• Individuals Only: Only individual persons can apply. You cannot apply as an organization, only as its representative.
• Leading Role: Participants should have a leading position in the project or initiative they are applying with. (This can be the founder, co-founder, project-lead, initiator or a similar role.)
• Strong English: Participants must have a command of English which is strong enough to present their work in front of a jury and an audience, and to participate in group conversations.
• Age: The Young Global Changers program aims to empower youth. Applicants should preferably be between the ages of 18 and 35.
• Organizational Stage: The project or initiative must be beyond the idea stage. It should be currently active and running.
• Motivation: The applicants should show motivation to become active members of a global network which aims at bringing about lasting global change.

(b) Project Focus & Design

In order to be successful, the project will need to meet certain criteria:

• Recoupling: The project, business or initiative that you apply with needs to aim at recoupling, i.e. a better alignment of economic or political activities with social well-being and environmental sustainability. This means, putting the needs of people and environmental sustainability at the center of economic and/or political activities.
• Issue: The project needs to address issues of broader political, societal or environmental importance. Applicants need to show how the issue is addressed.
• Innovation: New, innovative or unique projects and approaches are especially welcome.

Details of how the jury will assess the entries can be found in a separate document „Assessment of Application” (https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/YGC2022_AWARD_Assesment-Applications.pdf).

(c) Target Groups

Anyone who fulfills the eligibility criteria above can apply. We are specifically looking for representatives from the following three groups:

1. Young entrepreneurs or innovators who have started or are involved in a leading role in a social enterprise that aims at aligning economic activity with environmental sustainability and social prosperity.
2. Young business leaders aiming at changing “business as usual” from the inside (“intrapreneurs”).
3. Young non-profit actors, community organizers, advocacy leaders, campaigners, or implementers of social, economic, or environmental change on a local, regional or even on the global level.

5. TIMELINE

• Application Period: November 22, 2021 – January 5, 2022
• Semi-finals: January 26 – February 16, 2022
• Finals: March 28/29, 2022

6. SERVICES

6.1 All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria (see above section 4 (a)) will become members of a global network of young changemakers (“YGC Extended Circle”) and will receive regular information about events and activities of the Global Solutions Initiative and its partners. This assumes that we can send you information via email.

6.2 Selected applicants and their projects will be presented on the GSIF website. The materials you provide in your application will be used for this purpose. (for more details see section 8 “use of data”). All selected applicants will be recognized as “2022 Young Global Changers”.

6.3 Between 5 and 10 finalists will be invited to travel to Berlin and attend the 2022 Global Solutions Summit (March 28/29, 2022). These finalists (“scholarship awardees”) will receive a summit scholarship (“scholarship”) which includes the following services:

• Travel expenses to and from Berlin*
• Accommodation for the time of the Global Solutions Summit (three nights, March 27-30)**
• Free admission to the Global Solutions Summit 2022
• Networking opportunities with representatives from academia, business, politics & civil society
• Access to a global network of like-minded Young Global Changers
• Opportunities for further engagement

*Only the costs for train journeys in economy class or flights in economy class are covered. Visa costs are reimbursed. Additional costs may apply for local transportation in Berlin, food, travel or health insurance and more. These costs will not be covered.

**The hotel will be arranged and paid for by the GSIF.

6.3.1 If the scholarship awardee cannot or does not want to travel to Berlin to attend the summit in person, they can attend the summit and present their project digitally (online). It will be of no disadvantage for the evaluation by the jury if the finalist is not able to attend the summit in person. No travel assistance or any other type of financial compensation will be awarded in case of a digital/online attendance.

6.3.2 All travel expenses (except accommodation costs) must be paid upfront by the scholarship awardee and will be reimbursed within 6 weeks after the summit. The reimbursement of travel expenses will only be made upon presentation of original receipts, which must be submitted to GSIF. The awardee is responsible for submitting reimbursement claims. Currency fluctuations may lead to changes in the total amount reimbursed.

6.3.3 GSIF must be consulted before any purchase is made that is subject to reimbursement. GSIF will only refund expenses that they have previously agreed to.

6.3.4 An awarded scholarship is not transferable. In the event that the scholarship awardee is unable to travel to Berlin for reasons that lie beyond their control, costs already incurred can be reimbursed up to the amount of the total scholarship agreed upon in advance. The scholarship awardee must provide the reason for the cancellation and proof of costs incurred. GSIF will not be liable for any additional costs or damages resulting from cancelation.

6.3.5 All scholarship awardees who want to attend the summit in person need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must abide by all relevant entry and travel regulations of the EU and Germany. Scholarship awardees travel at their own risk. It is within the awardee’s responsibility to obtain detailed information about all the consequences of travelling, in particular about the rules applicable on departure and return, quarantine and testing obligations, hygiene regulations and other rules of conduct. GSIF will not cover any costs that may incur because of a necessary quarantine or testing when entering Germany or when re-entering the country of departure.

6.3.6 There is no claim to an event taking place or being implemented, even if your application was successful. GSIF reserves the right to cancel the summit and all related events for any or no reason at all. In case of a cancelation of the event by the organizer, for example because of local health or security obligations, the scholarship awardee can get reimbursed for costs that have incurred up to the amount of the total scholarship agreed upon in advance. No reimbursements will be made for any costs that occur after the awardee has been informed about the cancelation.

6.4 The 3 Award winners will receive prize money. This prize money is paid independently of the scholarship.

6.4.1 Depending on the placement, the prize money amounts to

• • €5,000 (first prize)
  • €2,000 (second prize)
  • €1,000 (third prize)

6.4.2 The YGC Recoupling Award prize money will be disbursed within 6 weeks after the summit. The Award winner must ensure proper financial management of the prize money. It is the responsibility of the award winner to obtain information regarding taxes and connected fraud regulations; they must comply with relevant legal regulations (please note that there may be differences between EU regulations and country-specific regulations). GSIF is not obligated to provide information in this regard.

6.5 GSIF reserves the right to send each scholarship awardee a separate scholarship agreement, stipulating the above stated rules in detail. The signature of this scholarship agreement is condition precedent for scholarships.

7. SUBMISSIONS

The basis for the selection of the semi-finalists, finalists and winners is the complete set of documents that needs to be submitted. In the following, the individual items and the associated conditions are discussed in more detail. For the specific evaluation criteria, it is advisable to look at the document “Assessment of Application”.

7.1 Each applicant is required to submit the following:

(a) Personal information (name, email address, date and place of birth)

(b) A short, written description of their project or initiative

(c) A short, written explanation of how the project/initiative promotes “Recoupling”.

(d) A video presentation about the project

(e) CV of the applicant

7.2 All submissions must meet the following general conditions:

(a) The language used in your submission must be the English language.

(b) The content of your submission must be acceptable for all viewing audiences. Materials that contain text, sound, or images that we (in our sole discretion) regard as vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate for public viewing will be automatically disqualified.

7.3 Any submission which is incomplete or indecipherable will be deemed invalid and will be disqualified. Any submission that does not fulfill the conditions set out above will be deemed ineligible and will be disqualified.

7.4 The winning individuals will be chosen by our jury members. The jury’s decisions are final, binding, and incontestable.

8. USE OF DATA

8.1 With accepting this Agreement you consent that GSIF can safely store and process your contact details and information as well as the information you provide about your organization and your project. GSIF uses the data you provide to identify suitable candidates for the participation in the award and the scholarship. GSIF may share the information and documents with the members of the jury and partners (including funding partners) only for opportunities relevant to you and your project/initiative.

8.2 As part of your participation in the YGC Recoupling Award, you may provide written and oral statements, as well as photos, documents, presentations, or other materials about you, your organization or your project. By participating in the Award, and entering a submission, you grant GSIF a worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, publish, modify and otherwise communicate internally or to the public, these materials for marketing, promotional, and internal purposes.

8.3 You agree that the information about your project and organization may be published on the GSIF website. We may use all materials submitted by you during the application process. The information may also be shared with other participants. GSIF will not publish or share email addresses or any other contact information on our website or anywhere else without your consent.

8.4 The consent also applies to data collected during the summit, particularly for film and/or sound recordings made by the organizer. Applicants agree that all pictures taken of them during the summit may be reproduced, free of charge and in any form, to document the conference or to promote subsequent conferences.

8.4 Your consent is revocable at any time (by e-mail to contact@global-solutions-initiative.org). The update is sent in accordance with the privacy policy (https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/privacy-policy/) and to advertise the GSIF’s own products and services.

8.5 Interested parties, who do not agree to the use of their data as described, are excluded from participating in the application procedure.

9. INTELLECTURAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

You represent and warrant that, to the best of your knowledge, any material that you provide to us is not within the intellectual property rights of any third party, including any former or current employers. Under no circumstances will GSIF be liable for any loss, damage, claim, or expense relating to or resulting from any claim of infringement of any copyright, or other proprietary or intellectual property right of any third party, arising out of the use of the material you provided as part of the YGC Recoupling Award. We reserve the right to take down any content that may infringe any intellectual property right.

10. GENERAL BEHAVIOR AND CONDUCT

10.1 By participating in the YGC Recoupling Award, you agree that you will:

(a) Always behave in a professional manner, and treat all persons participating in the YGC Recoupling Award with respect and dignity.

(b) You must not engage in any behavior which is inappropriate, or any other form of harassment. You must not make any racist, sexist, or ageist remarks or other statements which may cause offense to anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

(c) You must not engage in any unlawful conduct.

(d) You must not engage in any conduct which may expose other people to risks to their health and safety.

10.2 By using social media platforms to post information related to the YGC Recoupling Award, you agree that

(a) You will not divulge any commercial or confidential information related to GSIF or partners that you learn over the course of the YGC Recoupling Award.

(b) All contents posted on social media do not infringe any intellectual property rights.

10.3 We will not in any way be liable for any loss, damage, claim, or expense relating to or resulting from any bodily injury or death of any person, or any damage to or loss of any real and/or tangible property caused by your negligent or willful acts or omissions.

10.4 You are obligated to treat the facilities with care as well as to observe the house rules and safety regulations of the buildings, in which the events take place; this also includes adhering to all hygiene and health safety regulations as well as possible no-smoking rules.

11. CANCELLATION AND REVOCATION BY THE APPLICANT

11.1 You can cancel services resulting from this Agreement entirely or partially. The consequence of a cancellation is that the service is no longer rendered.

11.2 If an applicant selected for participation in the YGC Recoupling Award cancels prior to the summit for which they applied, their data is erased within four weeks. However, cancellation after the summit can solely apply to other services independent thereof; in this case, the data from the application remains in the possession of GSIF.

11.3 Applicants, who sent an online application, have the right to revoke this Agreement within fourteen days after sending the online application without having to provide reasons. To exercise your right of cancellation, you must inform the

Global Solutions Initiative Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH
Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 26
10969 Berlin
E-Mail: scholarship@global-solutions-initiative.org

of your decision to cancel this Agreement in the form of a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or email).

11.4 Sending the notification exercising your right of cancellation prior to the expiration of the cancellation period suffices for compliance with the cancellation deadline. Cancellation consequences are as follows: If an applicant cancels this Agreement, GSIF will erase all data received from the applicant in line with his/her application within four weeks, at the latest, after receiving the cancellation.

12. OTHER CONDITIONS

By registering and participating in the YGC Recoupling Award, you agree:

1. To abide by this Agreement between you and GSIF with respect to the YGC Recoupling Award.
2. To abide by and accept as final and binding, all decisions made by us on matters related to the YGC Recoupling Award;
3. That we have the right, at our sole discretion, to disqualify any participant for breach of the terms stated in this Agreement;
4. That we have the right to cancel or suspend the YGC Recoupling Award with or without notice and for any or no reason. We will not be responsible for any damage or inconvenience caused by any cancellation or suspension of the YGC Recoupling Award. (This excludes costs that incur in conjunction with the scholarship and have previously been agreed to by GSIF (see above 6.3))
5. To allow us to publish your actual name, nationality, and age, in our publicity and marketing efforts for the YGC Recoupling Award without any reference, liability, or compensation to you.
6. If you do not agree with any of these terms and conditions of this Agreement, do not register for and participate in this event.

1. What do you mean by “Recoupling”?

“Recoupling” refers to the linking or re-linking of economic prosperity with social prosperity and environmental sustainability. It describes an initiative to counter the decoupling of economic activities from the needs of people, societies and the environment.
Recoupling can be viewed as a necessary precondition to overcome the weaknesses of unregulated capitalism, thereby addressing many of the current global challenges. Recoupling-approaches aim at a better alignment of economic and political activities with environmental sustainability and with social prosperity – putting human needs and thriving societies at the center.
To be recognized as a project that fosters recoupling, they must be guided by a people-centric approach, one that puts the needs and voices of their stakeholders, customers, workers and/or communities at the center. We also want to learn how the project impacts the natural environment. Does the project, for example, promote avenues to carbon neutrality and towards circular modes of production and consumption? The projects do not need to address both domains (the social and the environmental) to the same degree. Well balanced projects may be chosen alongside other projects with a strong focus on only one of the two domains.

2. What does it mean to have a “leading” role?

Participants should have a leading position in the project or initiative they are applying with. This can be the role of a founder, co-founder, project-lead, initiator or a similar role.
Should you be unsure whether your role in the project or initiative is suitable, ask yourself the following questions: Do I directly determine the path and direction the project is to take? Can I authentically speak about the goals of the initiative? Can I report on how the initiative wants to align itself in the future? If the answer to all three questions is “yes,” you should apply!

3. Can I apply for the YGC Recoupling Award if I am older than 35 years?

The Young Global Changers program specifically aims at empowering the young generation. With the YGC Recoupling Award we want to recognize and support projects specifically by young people that embody the recoupling approach. That is why we aim primarily to attract applicants between the ages of 18 and 35. However, this is not a strict age limit, should you be able to give reasons as to why we should include you, even though you have exceeded the age range, we would be happy to consider your application.

4. What are the semi-finals?

The phase of the semi finals will not include any onsite-meetings or travel. During the semi-finals the project descriptions of all semi-finalists will be posted on the Global Solutions website for the jury and the public to see. We will also schedule one or two online meetings for all semi-finalists during which they will get to network amongst each other and with experts from the Global Solutions Initiative. All semi-finalists will automatically be included into our Young Global Changers class of 2022. Semi-finalists will not receive a scholarship, travel-allowance or any other financial reward for their participation in the semi-finals. They will however be officially recognized as a 2022 Young Global Changer and become part of our global community of changemakers.

5. What are the finals?

The finals will take place in Berlin on March 28/29, 2022. From all semi-finalists up to 10 finalists will be chosen to participate in the finals. The finals will consist of an event at the Global Solutions Summit 2022 during which all finalists will have the opportunity to present their project in front of a jury of experts.

6. Which costs will be reimbursed as part of the scholarship?

Should you be one of the ten finalists who get invited to attend the Global Solutions Summit on March 28 & 29 the Global Solutions Initiative will fully reimburse your travel costs and arrange your stay. Please note that scholarship awardees, even after their application has been successful, must consult us before making any purchases! Only costs that Global Solutions has agreed to cover before the purchase was made can be reimbursed.

The following expenses are eligible for reimbursement
– Travel expenses to and from Berlin (i.e. costs for train, bus or flight tickets [economy class])
– Visa costs and costs incurred in connection therewith

Costs which are excluded from reimbursement are:
– Vaccination costs
– Any travel or health insurances already concluded

7. What costs will be reimbursed if I cannot come to Berlin unexpectedly?

We are aware that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or for other reasons, traveling to Berlin may not be possible for you at the time of the Global Solutions Summit. If the local situation in Berlin and/or in your home country does not allow you to travel to the summit in person, travel costs already incurred will be reimbursed for all scholarship awardees.
The scholarship awardee must provide the reason for the cancellation and proof of costs incurred. Costs that can be reimbursed include costs for transportation tickets, cancelation fees and/or visa costs. We will only refund expenses up to the amount of the total scholarship agreed upon in advance. Additional costs or damages resulting from a cancelation will not be reimbursed.

8. Do I need to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

Anyone can submit their application and be admitted to the semi-finals, entries do not require any proof of vaccination during the submission phase. However, all scholarship awardees (“finalists”) who want to attend the summit in person need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must abide by all relevant entry and travel regulations of the EU and Germany.

9. What if I need to quarantine upon arrival in Germany and/or upon my return?

The Global Solutions Initiative will not cover any costs that may incur because of a necessary quarantine or testing when entering Germany or when re-entering the country of departure.
Scholarship awardees travel at their own risk. It is within the awardee’s responsibility to obtain detailed information about all the consequences of travelling, in particular about the rules applicable on departure and return, quarantine and testing obligations, hygiene regulations and other rules of conduct.

10. What can I do if I have not received a confirmation email?

If you did not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder and look for an email by the sender “ScantToMail”. If you are still unable to find the confirmation email please send a private message to scholarships@global-solutions-initiative.org with your first and last name. We will try to help you and check whether we received your application.

11. What is the status of my submission?

We are unable to provide any individual feedback on the status of the applications. We are dealing with far too many applications and mails to do this.
All applicants will receive feedback regarding the semi-finals on January 26th, 2022. The finalists will receive a confirmation about their participation in the YGC Recoupling Award on February 16th, 2022; the rejection emails will also be sent out by this date.
If you did not receive any feedback after January 26th / February 16th please check your spam folder. If you are still unable to find the email from us, please send a message to scholarships@global-solutions-initiative.org.