The Danida Fellowship Centre awarded the Aalborg University PhD scholar Dr. Olman Segura-Bonilla the Danida Alumni Prize 2021 for his participation and vital role in kick starting Costa Rica’s climate strategy.
The award ceremony took place on November 3, 2021, in Costa Rica as part of the opening of the 17th Globelics Conference. The Minister of Development in Denmark Fleming Møller Mortensen sent a special video message to celebrate and thank Dr. Segura-Bonilla for his tireless efforts and important role in Costa Rica’s Green Transition.
The ceremony was streamed online and a recording can be watched via the Danida Fellowship Centre homepage.
PhD on the forest sector in Costa Rica
Dr. Olman Segura-Bonilla earned his PhD degree from the Innovation, Knowledge and Economic Dynamics research group (IKE) at Aalborg University in 2000 and was supervised by Bengt Åke Lundvall. In his PhD thesis “Sustainable systems of innovation: The forest sector in Costa Rica”, Segura-Bonilla developed concepts that have become an essential part of Costa Rica’s climate strategy in terms of carbon emission reduction. From a theoretical perspective, Olman Segura-Bonilla’s PhD thesis made an important contribution in explicitly combining sustainability with innovation system analysis.
Segura-Bonilla’s innovative thinking and ability to create new knowledge and implement this knowledge has contributed in making Costa Rica a country in the forefront when it comes to green transition. Moreover, his interest in sustainable development has also made Costa Rica a pioneering country when it comes to eco-tourism.