The Jean-Claude Eicher Prize for the Development of Research in Education, valued at €3,000, is awarded by a jury of distinguished scholars recognized in the field of educational research.
The ninth edition is launched, and the prize will be presented during the thirtieth Journées du Longitudinal organized by IREDU and Céreq on June 16-17, 2025.
This prize rewards the work of young researchers (doctoral theses accompanied by the defense report) focusing on education and training. These works may explore educational systems, school and university pathways, study conditions, funding mechanisms, teaching practices, evaluation of knowledge and skills, and school and university regulation methods. Broader topics, such as the societal impacts of education, including education and growth, social inequalities, labor market, and lifelong learning, are also eligible for the prize. Comparative studies or works focusing on national educational systems from developed or developing countries are within the scope of this award.
Submissions can be written in French or English.
Thirteen laureates have already been awarded (eight thesis prizes and five honorable mentions).
Works must have been defended after January 1, 2022, and no later than January 1, 2025.
The prize will be awarded on June 16, 2025, in Dijon.
Young researchers wishing to apply should submit their work (thesis and defense report) before February 1, 2025, either electronically (preferred) or by mail, to IREDU:
IREDU, EA 7318, University of Burgundy,
Pôle AAFE, 11 Esplanade Erasme,
BP 26513, 21065 Dijon Cedex,
iredu@u-bourgogne.fr
Jean-Claude Eicher witnessed the foundations of education economics at the University of Chicago in the late 1950s. Under the guidance of his mentor, Theodore Schultz (Nobel Prize in Economics), he began his career in the field. Returning to France, he earned his Ph.D. on the analysis of consumption and published his first article on the profitability of human investment in education in the United States in 1960 in the Revue d’Économie Politique. After founding IREDU in 1971, he directed the lab until 1985. He also contributed extensively to scientific activities in the field of education in France and internationally. A professor of economics and later education sciences, he was the first director of IUFM Bourgogne. He passed away in 2003. To honor his legacy in promoting educational research, his family and friends established an association dedicated to supporting research in education (in the fields of education economics, sociology, and education sciences).