Beyond its structured research partnerships, the Mirova Research Center also supports external initiatives that advance knowledge, education, and innovation in sustainable finance. These grants and co-sponsorships reflect MRC’s commitment to strengthening the broader ecosystem — rewarding academic excellence, opening doors for the next generation of researchers, and building connections between the academic world and investment practice.
Launched in 2025 in partnership with ValueCo — an academic network dedicated to ESG research and data — the MRC × ValueCo Research Grant is an annual competitive call for proposals supporting innovative research projects in sustainable finance at the proposal stage. The grant is open across three categories: general academic research, young researchers (PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers), and white papers or case studies intended for practitioner audiences. Each laureate receives €5,000 in funding as well as access to ValueCo’s proprietary Sustainable Finance Literature Library, integrated directly into the MRC website. The inaugural 2025 edition, themed Listed Assets, Sustainability Consensus and Real-World Transition, was won by doctoral researcher Borui Qiu for his work using ESG data to identify companies genuinely engaged in the transition. Given its success, the grant has been renewed for 2026, consolidating MRC’s role as a bridge between academic inquiry and impact-oriented investment practice.
MRC has supported the Alliance Graduate Summer School on Sustainable Development, organized by Columbia University’s Sustainable Investing Research Initiative (SIRI), in both 2025 and 2026. Created through the Alliance Program — a transatlantic academic partnership between Columbia University, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Panthéon-Sorbonne University — the Summer School brings together world-class researchers, industry experts, and policymakers for an intensive week of lectures, workshops, and interdisciplinary exchange with doctoral and advanced master’s students. MRC’s contribution is specifically directed toward sponsoring students from disadvantaged and underrepresented regions, ensuring that access to this high-level learning environment is not determined by financial means. The 2026 edition took place from 2 to 5 June in Paris
Since more than ten years, Mirova has sponsored the FIR-PRI “Finance & Sustainable Development” European Awards, organized by the Forum pour l’Investissement Responsable (FIR) in partnership with the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). These awards are among the most recognized distinctions in European sustainable finance research, honoring excellence across five categories—including best published article, best doctoral thesis, and research grants for doctoral candidates. Through its longstanding sponsorship, Mirova affirms its commitment to promoting the visibility and credibility of academic research in responsible finance.