We are excited to announce the second edition of the Maintenance PhD Thesis Award, a collaboration between the Dutch Maintenance Society, NVDO and the World Class Maintenance foundation (WCM). Building on the success of the PhD Thesis Award, we are excited to introduce the Master Thesis Award this year. These prestigious awards honor groundbreaking research that advances the Dutch maintenance sector.
Last year, the PhD award was presented to Mingxin Li for his outstanding research titled "Towards Closed-loop Maintenance Logistics for Offshore Wind Farms: Approaches for Strategic and Tactical Decision-making." Who will follow in his footsteps this year?
Award Ceremony Details
November 5th 2025
Gasunie in Groningen
Maintaining the future
We invite you to play a crucial role in this initiative by nominating students who have conducted groundbreaking research in the field of maintenance. These awards are open to individuals or groups affiliated with educational and research institutions such as universities.
Submission Deadline: September 1st 2025
The winners of the Maintenance PhD (PTA) and Master Thesis Award (MTA) will not only receive a prestigious accolade but also a cash prize. Moreover, they will have the opportunity to be automatically nominated for the European Federation of National Maintenance Societies (EFNMS) Euromaintenance PhD and Master award, adding an international dimension to their achievements.
EFNMS PhD Thesis Award Highlights:
- Promotion of Theoretical and Applied Research in Maintenance Engineering and Management.
- Evaluation criteria:
- Scientific Value and Academic Relevance
- Industrial Relevance
- Creativity (innovation)
- Presentation
- Contribution to sustainability
Presentation opportunity during the biannual EUROMAINTENANCE conference; March 2026, 11-12 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Submission Guidelines:
- Nominee’s thesis, report, or research summary should not exceed 3 pages of A4 size
- Evaluation criteria include applicability, academic and industrial relevance, innovation, safety promotion, sustainability, energy efficiency, contribution to smarter production, and increased asset reliability
General Information:
- Nominations, along with justifications (see attached application form), must be submitted by September 1st, 2025, to info@worldclassmaintenance.com
- An independent and expert jury will assess the submissions. The jury consists of:
- Prof. dr. Henk Akkermans (chairman)
- Dr. Jan Braaksma
- Dr. Chris Rijsdijk
- Ing. Jan Stoker
- Results will be announced at the Maintaining the Future conference on November 5th 2025. Nominees are expected to attend the conference in person
- Winners will receive a cash prize of €1000 and professional publication of their work
- NVDO and WCM retain publication rights
- Winners are expected to cooperate in PR activities
Join us in recognizing and promoting outstanding research in maintenance. Let's contribute to the advancement of our industry together.
APPLICATION FORM