Leonardo Violo is awarded Mid Sweden University's Sustainability Award 2025
Leonardo Violo has been awarded Mid Sweden University's Sustainability Prize 2025 for his degree project on sustainable stormwater systems. His study shows how technical solutions can create added value for both the environment and society.
The prize is awarded to the best independent project/degree project in sustainable development at Mid Sweden University during the year. This year's winner, Leonardo Violo, is rewarded for his work "Implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems with a Relation to Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Häggenås, Sweden".
In his degree project, Leonardo deals with stormwater systems from environmental, economic and social perspectives. By combining different research methods, he succeeds in creating a deeper understanding of how sustainable planning of stormwater systems can contribute to both functional and value-creating solutions.
"The work builds on previous research and shows that sustainable stormwater solutions not only work technically, but can also create positive effects for the surrounding environment and society. The thesis contributes with new knowledge, creative use of methods and results that are directly applicable to meet concrete societal challenges, says the assessment group for research scholarships.
Sees it as an encouragement to continue
Leonardo, who has now begun further studies in Munich, expresses great gratitude for the award.
"It's really an honour to have my thesis recognised in this way. This award means a lot to me – not only in recognition of my academic work, but also as an encouragement to continue developing research and practice in the field of sustainability. The fact that the committee saw value in this work gives me the confidence to take the ideas with me further, into my future studies," he says.
He also highlights the important role that Mid Sweden University has played during his education and thanks Sara Norström in particular for the nomination and support.
The award was presented in Sundsvall on 8 October 2025, in connection with the Alumni of the Year event.