Other international initiatives

Would you like to help solve development problems in the world? Propose your humanitarian project and benefit from the financial support of the Prix Christophe Pralong and the Prix Olivier Cadot.

The objective of these prizes is to help a student carry out a project in an emerging country. All types of projects (entrepreneurial, humanitarian, etc.) are welcome, including academic case studies or internships in international organisations or local NGOs.

Each project should be well defined in terms of objectives, modalities, follow-up and sustainability. Each proposal must also show what meaning the project has for the student, for the target populations and for the knowledge of development problems on the ground. A key condition is the local stay necessary for its realisation. The prize is open without discrimination to bachelor, master and doctoral students of the following universities: UNIL, EPFL, UNIGE, IHEID, UNIFR and UNINE.

Projects are evaluated based on the following criteria: relevance and feasibility of the project in relation to the budget and other constraints, definition of objectives and modalities, sustainability of the desired results and the need for a stay in the country concerned.

The Prix Christophe Pralong and the Prix Olivier Cadot aim to encourage students to dedicate themselves to development issues in the world.

The Prix Pralong was founded in 2007 by Ms Sandra Pralong to honour the memory of her husband Christophe, HEC alumni and former President of the HEC Students' Committee (1978-80). It is awarded by the Christophe Pralong Association.

In order to support the work of the association and to honour the memory of Professor Olivier Cadot, Professor of International Economics and Development (1999-2019), the HEC Faculty and the International Relations Office (SRI) of the University of Lausanne have created a second prize to be awarded in 2021, under the name of the Prix Olivier Cadot.

Endowed with an annual amount of maximum CHF 10,000 each, these prizes are intended to help a student or a group of maximum 3 students to carry out a social, entrepreneurial or academic project in an emerging country. The country must be on the list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients established by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD. The prize money is intended to cover all or part of the travel costs and one to two months' stay in the country.

To date, the Prix Pralong has financed projects such as a cereal mill for a village school in Niger, a medicinal plant processing plant in Vietnam, an aid programme in Madagascar, a fundraising campaign for a dispensary, a feasibility study for micro-irrigation in Niger and a sewing workshop for ready-to-wear clothes for export in Ivory Coast. For more information, click here.

The application must be submitted by Sunday 15 January 2023. The results will be announced approximately 3 months later. The project must take place in the summer of 2023 in the country concerned.

The Prix Pralong is open to students∙e∙s in bachelor, master or doctoral studies from all faculties of the University of Lausanne (UNIL), as well as to students∙e∙s from the following universities: EPFL, UNIGE, IHEID, UNIFR and UNINE. At the time of submission, the candidate must therefore be enrolled at a university in French-speaking Switzerland.

Concerning the Prix Cadot, the student, or at least one student in the case of a group, must be registered at UNIL at the time of submission of the project. A UNIL-registered project leader will be appointed from among the members of the group. All candidates registered at UNIL will be considered for the Prix Pralong and the Prix Cadot. All candidates registered outside UNIL will be considered for the Prix Pralong only.

Candidates will be evaluated based on a written submission that they will have proposed before the deadline, according to the modalities explained in the guide for written submission. The selection decision is not subject to appeal.

Note: The participation of the Prize (maximum amount of 10,000.-) in the financing of the project cannot exceed 80% of the total budget. The remaining 20% comes from funds outside the Prize, and is found by the student himself.

Documents to be included in your application:

1. The registration form
2. The defined budget
3. A detailed description of the project (context, motivation, commitment, follow-up and sustainability)
4. A certificate of registration from your university
5. A CV (in case of a group, one CV per person)
6. A letter of confirmation from the local partner on site proving your participation in the project
7. If applicable, an official document from the association carrying the project in Switzerland supporting your participation
8. For applicants registered at UNIL only: La déclaration d'engagement
9. Other relevant documents

The description of the project can be in French or English, depending on the student's choice.

An explanatory document is available to fill in the budget and the detailed description.

The complete file must be sent in electronic format to madeleine.linard@unil.ch by 15 December 2022.

Formulaire inscription en français  (107 Ko)

Document explicatif en français  (205 Ko)

Registration form in English  (107 Ko)

Explanatory document in English  (204 Ko)