DAAD – Fundamental Academic Values Award

Award for early career researchers who have contributed towards the preservation and advocacy of fundamental academic values in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – German Academic Exchange Service) is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation. The DAAD awards competitive, merit-based grants for use toward study and/or research in Germany at any of the accredited German higher education institutions (HEIs), and for German students to go abroad.

The Fundamental Academic Values Award is aimed at early career scientists in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It is presented for research publications that have made an outstanding scientific contribution towards the preservation and advocacy of fundamental academic values in the EHEA. The award’s objective is to encourage the candidates to continue with the academic commitment in the preservation and advocacy of the values. The topic of the research should show a clear connection to fundamental values in higher education.

The four common European fundamental academic values include:

• Academic freedom and integrity.
• Institutional autonomy.
• Participation of students and staff in higher education governance.
• Public responsibility for and of higher education.

By awarding the prize, the DAAD aims to contribute to the advocacy of fundamental academic values, to promote important research in this area and to further stimulate the discussion about these values. It was awarded for the first time in 2022.

Winners will be invited to present their research during a public conference at the end of 2024.

The award is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF – Federal Ministry for Education and Research).