In 1963, SECO created the 'Gustave Magnel' Prize in memory of professor Gustave Magnel, a great scholar and engineer inspiring excellence in research. He was one of the founders of SECO ans subsequently its managing director. The goal of the prize is to encourage scientific research applied to construction while recognizing researchers working in this field.

The Gustave Magnel Award and the Jacques Verdeyen Award were merged in the International SECO Magnel phd Prize in order to emphasize diversification and international outreach. This 10.000€ prize will be awarded every two years to the author of a doctoral thesis in any construction, civil, structural or architectural engineering or material related topics without any restriction as long as it can be related to the SECO Group (www.groupseco.com) activities.

Awarding regulations of the International SECO Magnel PhD Prize for the period 2016-2020

1. The prize may be awarded to a researcher who has obtained a doctoral degree in the European Higher Education Area during the period 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2019. The researcher must be under 40 years on the date of PhD completion. Doctoral theses may be drafted in Dutch, French, German or English.
2. The application should be accompanied by a note in which the candidate shows the practical applicability of the scientific work and its possible relationship with the SECO Group activities.
3. The application should be submitted before November 1st 2020 to SECO, 53 rue d’Arlon, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, in 2 printed copies containing the full name, residence, e-mail address, and the place and date of birth of the author, as well as his/her titles and positions and a brief curriculum vitae as well as a summary of 1 page which will be used for communication. The digital version of the thesis, the CV and the accompanying notes should be sent in PDF format to the following e-mail address: prix_magnel@seco.be.
4. The SECO Technical Advisory Board is entrusted with reviewing the applications and awarding the Prize. The Technical Advisory Board may ask the candidate questions to get clarifications concerning the application if necessary. The decisions of the Technical Advisory Board are final. If more than one application is deemed to be of equal interest, the Prize may be exceptionally shared.
5. The Laureate is awarded the ‘International SECO Magnel PhD’ Prize for the period 2016-2020. The Laureate agrees to deliver a short speech for a large audience during the award ceremony (to be scheduled) and submit a short paper in a professional journal (to be determined).