DPIR students win prestigious Entente Cordiale University Challenge

Many congratulations to DPIR students, Nachiket Midha, Yoonki Lee and Theo Kaiser who have won the Entente Cordiale University Challenge. 

The challenge that awards excellence for international research and innovative solutions to pressing environmental, political, economic, demographic, technological and other global issues. 

Since their win, we spoke to Nachiket, Yoonki and Theo and asked them about their remarkable success: 

The Entente Cordiale University Challenge is inclusive and collaborative. Study groups in each country, made up of three students per team from the same French or British academic institution, can take part in the Challenge from October. After selection of the 10 best written studies in France and the UK at the end of February-March, the finalists are invited to the annual Entente Cordiale Day over April 7th and 8th for a series of prestigious events, an oral presentation before a prominent Grand Jury and a closing gala awarding the work of the 5 best study groups of each country with the Entente Cordiale Day Prizes. 

What did you have to do? 

In the Entente Cordiale University Challenge, there were three main stages. First, our team had to be selected through an initial application process, which involved choosing a relevant policy topic and forming a strong, interdisciplinary team. After being selected, we prepared and submitted a comprehensive 15-page policy paper outlining our recommendations. Following the written round, we advanced to the final stage, where we presented our proposals in a 10-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session before a grand jury panel. 

Huge congratulations – why do you think you won? 

We believe we won because our diverse, interdisciplinary, and cultural backgrounds truly strengthened our synergy as a team. Coming from different parts of the world and academic disciplines allowed us to approach the issue of stubble burning from multiple perspectives, enriching our understanding and solutions. Moreover, since stubble burning is a deeply personal issue for each of us, we were genuinely passionate and determined to make a meaningful impact. That shared sense of purpose fuelled our commitment and creativity throughout the project. 

What does winning mean to you? 

This prize holds more than just titular value for us. We hope that our policy solutions to combat stubble burning in South Asia are practical, feasible, and implementable. As part of the prize, we are also excited to take our research further through an exclusive internship opportunity at The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. This is genuinely exciting for us since the award is a testament to our commitment to taking our work forward and liaising with the relevant stakeholders to implement these solutions in the near future. 

What impact will this prize mean to your research? 

Although none of us are directly working on stubble burning in our academic research at DPIR, working on this topic over the past six months has prompted us to take a deeper dive into the problem. We are continuing this as a research/policy project where we are improving on our existing solutions and recommendations to make our report even more sophisticated. It has definitely proven to be an interesting research area where so much is yet to be discovered and written about in the future. 

How has DPIR supported you in these achievements? 

To begin with, the fact that DPIR serves as a platform for people with similar interests, passion, and skillset to collaborate is commendable. Our team, by virtue of being associated with the department, worked closely and interacted with each other frequently. Moreover, we applied the methods training we received at DPIR for our policy recommendations and written report to make it more robust. It was crucial in many ways and prompted us to think harder. Finally, we believe the cohort, people, and energy at DPIR are unmatched, and it kept us motivated to be surrounded by amazing people. 

We hope that our proposed solutions will help draw greater attention to the perennial issue of stubble burning, which continues to affect millions across regions. Participating in this challenge was an incredibly enriching learning experience, and it allowed us to engage deeply with a real-world policy issue that demands urgent and sustained attention. We also hope that more students from the DPIR will take part in future editions of the Entente Cordiale University Challenge. 

Find out more here: Entente Cordiale University Challenge (@ec.university.challenge) • Instagram photos and videos

Nachiket Midha (MSc in Politics); St Antony’s College, from India; BA from Ashoka University; works on AI, governance issues, public policy and comparative global political dynasties. Previously worked with a range of think tanks: E-IR, London; CPR and ORF, New Delhi; ISAS-NUS, Singapore. 

Yoonki Lee (MPhil International Relations); St Antony’s College; from South Korea; BA from Yonsei University; conducting research on Domestic Drivers of Hedging: South Korea’s Middle Power Diplomacy Amidst U.S.-China Rivalry.

Theo Kaiser (MPhil International Relations); St Antony’s College; from Germany; worked in German public administration and at OECD; research on international social policies and now the ILO