MONALISA Community of Knowledge  – #1 Call for Young Researchers: Official Results

The MONALISA Community of Knowledge is pleased to share that the Scientific Committee has finalized the results of the #1 Call for Young Researchers (June 2025). The Call invited innovative work on soil and land degradation, desertification, and climate impacts on land, with particular attention to AI, machine learning, and remote sensing applied to LDD.

Evaluation approach

Following the rules of the Call and the Committee’s incontestable discretion, each submission was reviewed against two principal criteria:

• Maturity — clarity of scope and milestones, feasibility, and potential for near-term implementation.

• Scientific quality — originality, rigor of methods and data, and potential to advance knowledge and practice in LDD.

All applicants met the eligibility requirements for young researchers, and the proposals were aligned with the objectives of the program and the topic of the Call.

>> Full ranking and evaluation summary: Read the details here

Community showcase: Café talk

To foster exchange and feedback, all candidates are invited to present their work at MONALISA #2 Café talk on 30 October 2025. This session will highlight research questions, methods, and anticipated applications for land sustainability and desertification.

Targeted support

Thanks to collaboration with the DNI Academy, the first-ranked candidate will be able to request limited financial support to cover registration fees for relevant events focused on land sustainability and desertification.

We thank all applicants and reviewers for their contributions and look forward to the Café talk on 30 October 2025.