Professor Romain Yakemtchouk Prize for International Relations Studies

Text ratified by the Board of Directors at its session of 25 September 2013 and modified during its session of 25 March 2015 and 28 September 2016.

1. In order to keep alive the memory of Professor Romain Yakemtchouk and of his work in the field of international relations, the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences has set up a Professor Romain Yakemtchouk Fund, which was instituted on the initiative of Professor Romain Yakemtchouk (†) and Mrs Marie-Thérèse Bockstaele (†), honorary executive director of the Royal Institute for International Relations (Egmont) (Belgium).

2. The Fund is composed of start-up capital amounting to 25,000 EUR for this purpose. It will be increased with the interest on its capital, as well as with potential donations and legacies made to the Academy in order to raise the Fund.

3. The Fund is managed by the Board of Directors of the Academy under a separate account.

If the assets of the Fund are no longer sufficient to award a prize of a reasonable amount, the Board of Directors is allowed to decide to integrate the balance of it into its general assets.

However, any decision to integrate the Fund into the Academy’s property may not be taken less than fifty years after its creation.

4. The Fund has been set up in order to reward with a prize named “Professor Romain Yakemtchouk Prize for International Relations Studies” the author of a doctoral thesis of great scientific value, defended for less than three years, written in English, French, Dutch or Spanish, on a subject related to international relations or peace issues. Special emphasis should be given to overseas countries.

5. Members of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences cannot be awarded the Prize.

6. The Prize amounts to 2,500 EUR. It will be awarded every three years and for the first time in 2015. The Board of Directors is allowed to alter the amount of the Prize and its periodicity.

7. Theses submitted should be sent to the Academy’s secretariat before 1 February of the year in which the Prize is awarded: six paper copies and one electronic version. For overseas candidates (developing and emerging countries) three paper copies and one electronic document will do. Candidates will append to their application a summary of 1,200 words maximum, a curriculum vitae and a covering letter.

8. The Prize is awarded by the Section of Human Sciences, on the proposal of an ad hoc Committee.

This Committee includes:

a. Late Mrs Marie-Thérèse Bockstaele (†), honorary executive director of the Royal Institute for International Relations (Egmont) (Belgium), or her representative;
b. The Academy’s Permanent Secretary, who is in charge of the secretariat;
c. Two members appointed by the Section of Human Sciences, at its February session following the theses’ submission, among (honorary) fellow and (honorary) associate members of the Academy;
d. The dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Université catholique de Louvain or a professor who would represent him/her.

 Should the topic of a thesis require it, the Committee may appoint one or two specialists, even from outside the Academy, for its assessment;

9. The report of the ad hoc Committee is sent to the Section of Human Sciences before 10 May following deliberation of this Committee.

10. No correspondence will be exchanged concerning the committee’s deliberation.

11. The Section of Human Sciences will nominate the winner at its May session. This nomination will result from a vote by a show of hands by the fellow, associate and corresponding members. To be appointed, a candidate should obtain an absolute majority of the votes. If no candidate obtains such a majority after three rounds, the Prize will not be awarded and the amount intended for this award will remain part of the Fund.

12. The Prize cannot be split.

13. The author of the award-winning work will be conferred the title of “Laureate of the Professor Romain Yakemtchouk Prize for International Relations Studies”.

14. If the prizewinning work is unpublished, the Academy may decide to publish it. In all of his/her future publications relative to the award-winning work, the laureate should refer to the Academy and to the Prize.