BMBWF presents the Danubius Awards 2022

Maribor received the Danubius Award 2022, the Mid-Career Award and the Danubius Young Scientist Awards to 13 emerging researchers from the Danube region

Maribor / Vienna (OTS) – The “Danubius Award” 2022 goes to the Bulgarian scientist Prof. Dr. Diana Mishkova, Professor of History and Director of the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Sofia, Bulgaria. With her work on the focal points of modern and contemporary history in Eastern Europe, the modernization of South Eastern Europe, European societies and European peripheries and national identities, you have made a decisive contribution to research on the Balkans. She is also the founding director of CAS Sofia, funded by numerous international sponsors such as the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin. Prof. Dr. Mishkova has received several awards for her scientific work and is involved in numerous international projects – currently on the Horizon 2020 project “PREVEX – Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans”.

With the “Danubius Mid-Carreer Award” 2022, the Ukrainian scientist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Award-winning Tamara Martsenyuk. She is Associate Professor at the National Academy of Kyiv-Mohyla University. His areas of interest are gender research, issues of social inequality, gender politics, social movements and empowerment. In addition to numerous stays abroad and participation in international research projects, he also contributes his experience to national political forums and NGOs. She is currently researching the topic “Involvement of women in Russia’s war against Ukraine”.

In addition, 13 young scientists from the Danube region will be awarded for their scientific work with the Danubius Young Scientist Awards.

By delivering these awards, the BMBWF contributes to the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) adopted by the European Council in 2011. Honoring outstanding scientific achievements, the Danube Region is made visible as a research area and the perception of its multidisciplinary challenges and potentials is strengthened.

“The Danube region offers many opportunities for cross-border and regional cooperation between universities and research institutes. And indeed there are many common challenges along the Danube and beyond that we need to tackle together and develop solutions, “said Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research Ao. Univ.-Prof. Martin Polaschek at the award ceremony on November 10, 2022 at the University of Maribor.

“The role of researchers has changed dramatically in recent years. On the one hand, they are in great demand to provide quick results, to motivate important policy decisions and to explain the current state of knowledge. On the other hand, we are seeing a worrying increase in skepticism towards science and research and democracy in general, creating multiple problems for and in our societies. We must work together to counter this skepticism and I am confident that today’s award winners will contribute to this with their work, “continued Polaschek.

The award ceremony in Maribor was carried out by Section Head Barbara Weitgruber of the BMBWF and the President of the Board of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, Friedrich Faulhammer.
Referring to solidarity with Ukraine as an EUSDR partner country, Barbara Weitgruber underlined: “We will continue our support for Ukrainian researchers who have come or want to come to the EU, as well as those who have remained in Ukraine. We also hope to start reconstruction soon and we are preparing for adequate support measures “.
Friedrich Faulhammer adds: “I am very pleased that we, together with the Ministry of Education, Science and Research, once again pay homage to the scientists who make a significant contribution to the development of knowledge and understanding in the Danube region in their various areas. This year I am particularly pleased to be able to highlight the scientific work of Ukrainian researchers, who are currently forced to work in the conditions created by the unjustified Russian attack on their country ”.

The “Danubius Prize” was created in 2011 to honor people who have faced the Danube region in an outstanding way in their scientific or creative work. The prize is awarded annually in rotation for achievements in the humanities, cultural and social sciences (2022) or life sciences and is endowed with € 5,000.

The “Danubius Mid-Career Award” is endowed with 2,200 euros and has been awarded since 2017 to researchers who have completed their last formal scientific degree from 5 to 15 years old or who have equivalent scientific experience. The winners were selected by a jury of independent experts chaired by the Univ.-Prof. Dr. Selected Stefan M. Newerkla (University of Vienna).

Since 2014, special prizes for young scientists have also been awarded, the “Danubius Young Scientist Awards”. The awards, open to all disciplines, highlight the scientific work and talent of young researchers and raise the visibility of the research community’s excellence in the Danube region. In this way, the awards also help young researchers to engage in various ways with the river and the region. The Young Talent Awards are endowed with € 1,350 per winner. The selection was made by an international jury of experts, with the candidates nominated for the award by their respective scientific institutions.

The winners of the “Danubius Young Scientist Award”:
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Djukanović Marko
Germany: Schmitt gen
Croatia: Kranjec Orlović Jelena
Moldova: Nicolae Arnaut
Montenegro: Miloš Brajovic
Austria: Apaydin Daniela
Romania: Cudalbeanu Mihaela
Serbia: Zorana Miletic
Slovak: Tibor Zsigmond
Slowenien: Temova Rakuša Žane
Czech Republic: Grimes Adela
Ukraine: Diahovchenko Illia
Ungarn: Bartos Blanca

Questions and contacts:

Andreas Jilly
Press spokesperson for the Federal Minister
Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research
+43 1 53120 – 5025
andres.jilly@bmbwf.gv.at