The environment and natural resources programme receives the Annual General Meeting Award

The environment and natural resources programme received the annual General Meeting Award for initiative and leadership at the University of Iceland in 2026. The award was presented at the university’s Annual General Meeting that took place in the Main Building’s Ceremonial Hall on Monday, May 11. The meeting was dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration between the university’s different disciplines.

The award was presented for the eighth time and is given to groups or teams that have demonstrated exemplary initiative and leadership in producing excellent work within the university.

The teachers behind the environment and natural resources programme received the award for initiative and leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration. The programme is the only interdisciplinary postgraduate programme at the University of Iceland that is connected to all five of the university’s schools.

It has been around 20 years since the environment and natural resources programme was introduced to address society’s need for greater knowledge and research on environmental and sustainability issues.

“The programme directors and teachers have developed an ambitious and international programme. From the beginning, the programme has broken down walls between faculties and subject areas, and thus created a platform for both staff and students, where different perspectives converge, and new knowledge is created,” says Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, Rector of the University of Iceland, when the award recipients were announced at the annual meeting.

In total, around 400 students have graduated with a degree in environment and natural resources, equipped with the knowledge and skills to work across subject fields, professions, and borders to address today’s complex challenges. The Rector pointed out that the achievement was a clear testament of what a focused initiative and strong leadership can accomplish. “With the award, we’d like to emphasise the importance of the university facilitating knowledge creation across schools. As a model for interdisciplinary collaboration, the environment and natural resources programme is a worthy recipient of this award,” Silja Bára added.