A research team from Bern University of Applied Sciences (BUAS) received an Acknowledgement Prize on 8 September 2011 in Casablanca, at the international Holcim Awards for the Africa and Middle East region. The prize, which honours outstanding projects in the field of sustainable construction, is worth US$ 18,750. It was awarded for a project in which structural panels were developed using agricultural waste materials; the panels are to be used in Nigeria to create affordable housing.