Danubius Awards 2022

Danubius Award 2022 to the Bulgarian scientist Prof. Dr. Diana Mishkova, Danubius Mid-Career Award to Ukrainian scientist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tamara Martsenyuk and Danubius Young Scientist Awards to 13 promising researchers from the Danube region. 

The “Danubius Award” 2022 goes to Bulgarian Prof. Dr. Diana Mishkova, History Professor and Director of the Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) in Sofia, Bulgaria. With her work focusing on modern and contemporary history of Eastern Europe, the modernization of South-Eastern Europe, European societies, and European peripheries as well as national identities, she has contributed profoundly to research on the Balkans. She is o the funding director of CAS Sofia, that is supported by numerous international sponsors, such as the Wissenschaftkolleg Berlin (Institute for Advanced Study Berlin). Prof. Dr. Mishkova has already received several awards for her scientific work and is involved in different international projects – currently in the Horizon 2020 project “PREVEX – Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans”.

Ukrainian scientist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tamara Martsenyuk has been awarded the “Danubius Mid-Career Award” 2022. She is an Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In her studies, she focuses on gender research, social inequality issues, gender policies, social movements, and empowerment. In addition to numerous stays abroad and the participation in international research projects, she also brings her expertise to national policy forums and NGOs. Her research is currently focusing on the topic “Women’s involvement in Russia’s War against Ukraine”. 

 
In addition, 13 young scientists from the Danube Region will be awarded with the Danubius Young Scientist Award 2022 for their scientific work.

By presenting these Awards, the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) is contributing to the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) adopted by the European Council in 2011. Through the awarding of 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 provides many opportunities for cross-border and regional cooperation among universities as well as research organizations. And there are, indeed, plenty of common challenges along the Danube and beyond which we need to jointly address and develop solutions for Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research Prof. Martin Polaschek pointed out on the occasion of the award ceremony on 10 November 2022 at the University of Maribor.

“The role of scientists and researchers has changed profoundly in the last decade. On the one hand, scientists and researchers are in a high demand to deliver fast results and provide evidence for critical policy decisions, and they have become indispensable in explaining and communicating the current knowledge available. On the other hand, we see a worrying rise in skepticism towards science and research as well as towards democracy in general, which creates a wide range of problems for and in our societies. We need to work together to counter this skepticism, and I am confident that all of you present and especially the awardees of today can and will contribute with their work towards demonstrating and communicating the relevance of science and research“, Polaschek continued.

The award ceremony in Maribor took place in the presence of Barbara Weitgruber, Head of the Department from the BMBWF, and Friedrich Faulhammer, Chairman of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM).

In her introduction, Barbara Weitgruber highlighted the solidarity with Ukraine as partner country of the EUSDR: “We will continue our support to the Ukrainian researchers, who have come or aim of coming in the EU, as well as to those remained in Ukraine. In addition to that, we hope for an early beginning of the reconstructions, and we are getting ready for appropriate support measures”. 

Friedrich Faulhammer added: “I am really pleased that once again we are working together with the Ministry for Education, Science and Research to honor scientists, who are significantly contributing to the development of knowledge and understanding within the Danube region in their various fields of research. This year, I am particularly pleased that we can also highlight the scientific work of Ukrainian female researchers, as they are currently forced to work under the conditions caused by the unjustified Russian attack on their country”.

The “Danubius Award” was established in 2011 to honor researchers who have outstandingly dealt with the Danube Region in their academic or artistic work. The prize is granted every year on a rotating basis for achievements in the humanities, cultural and social sciences (2022) or in life sciences and is endowed with € 5,000.

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

Since 2014, special young talent awards, the “Danubius Young Scientist Awards” have also been awarded. The prize, which is open to all disciplines, highlights the scientific work and talent of young researchers and increases the visibility of the excellence of the research community in the Danube Region. In this way, the prizes also contribute to the fact that young scientists deal with the river and the region in a variety of ways. The young talent prizes are endowed with € 1.350, per award winner. The selection was made by an international jury of experts, whereby the candidates for the award were nominated by their respective scientific institutions. 

Austria  Daniela Apaydin  
Bosnia and Herzegovina  Marko Djukanović  
Croatia  Jelena Kranjec Orlović  
Czech Republic  Adela Grimes  
Germany  Jan Schmitt  
Hungary  Blanka Bartos  
Moldova  Nicolae Arnaut  
Montenegro  Miloš Brajović  
Romania  Mihaela Cudalbeanu 
Serbia  Zorana Miletić  
Slovakia  Tibor Zsigmond  
Slovenia  Žane Temova Rakuša  
Ukraine  Illia Diahovchenko  

Watch the Award ceremony below

Developing the rule of law and strengthening anti-corruption in the Moldovan public procurement sector

The Moldovan-German Forum (FMG) is currently implementing a project on the rule of law and corruption in the public procurement sector of the Republic of Moldova in cooperation with the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), a Vienna-based think-tank. The project is conducted in the framework of the BACID programme “Building Administrative Capacities of the Countries of the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova – Cycle II”, co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

Corruption and a weak rule of law system are one of the biggest challenges in the aspirations of Moldova to become a European-style democracy with a competition-based, thriving and prosperity-generating market economy. Considering the tremendous economic weight of public procurements, which constituted 4.66% of Moldova’s GDP in the last trimester of 2019, frequent irregular payments and bribes have a particularly severe effect on the country’s economy and its ability to attract foreign investors. In the European Union’s bilateral cooperation with Moldova, anti-corruption and a business-friendly environment regularly appear among the top priorities. Despite considerable legislative and practical progress in Moldova, significant issues remain.

Against this backdrop, the project’s main objective is to facilitate accountable, transparent, efficient and non-discriminatory public procurement as a powerful anti-corruption tool in Moldova. Fair, predictable and swift tender procedures will ultimately benefit good governance, investor-friendliness and boost economic growth.

For this purpose, the project will identify by means of an interdisciplinary methodological approach the legislative gaps and red flags that facilitate corruption and maladministration in the Moldovan public procurement sector. Utilising the established FMG network, the project will match hands-on scientific evidence with practitioners’ experience.

The research findings and policy recommendations will be discussed at two outreach conferences – a mid-term conference taking place in Chisinau in April 2020 and a final conference in Vienna in June 2020. At these conferences a wider audience of public authorities, decision-makers, businesses and advocacy groups in the fields of rule of law and anti-corruption policy will be invited and given the opportunity to influence policy formulation.

The project’s ambition is to work out hands-on practical challenges faced by economic operators in public tenders, find new regulatory solutions and contribute to strengthening civil society and business groups in their advocacy for a better procurement system in Moldova.

The project will be implemented for a duration of six months (January – June 2020). The activities will be coordinated by the FMG, led by a team of dedicated international researchers from Moldova, Austria and Germany.

If you have a stake in this topic, want to learn more about the study impact or kindly stand ready for an interview to share your experience with public procurement in Moldova, please contact us via (info@fmg.md).

The Action is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) through the BACID grant scheme (Building Administrative Capacities in Danube Region & Western Balkans), managed by the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns (AACT) and KDZ Centre for Public Administration Research. This publication/document has been produced with the assistance of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the author/s and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of ADA nor the Austrian Government.

 

Information about the team:

Mihai-Razvan Corman is a law graduate from Humboldt University in Berlin, holder of a Master’s Degree from the College of Europe, PhD Researcher at Ghent University at the Department for European Law and scholarship holder of the Foundation of the German Economy (Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft). His research focuses on the Eastern Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the EU legal instruments in the area of anti-corruption and rule of law in Moldova and Ukraine, on which he has published widely. He has three years of experience working in different international law firms specialised in public procurement law and providing expertise for the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Nicolas Heger is a Young Professional with 3-years+ experience in policy strategy & evaluations, European administration and law, advocacy & public affairs, and business development, all with an international dimension. Nicolas is currently Kyiv-based and works as an independent consultant, involved in EU and German-funded projects to implement Good Governance Reform in Ukraine and Eastern Partnership. Post-graduate of the College of Europe in European Interdisciplinary Studies, mainly researching the legal framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. LL.M. degree holder in European Law at Maastricht University with a distinct interest in EU institutional and administrative Law, Internal Market Regulation and State Aid and Public Procurement Law.

Nicolae Arnaut is a graduate from the State University, Faculty of International Relations and Political Science, a MBA holder from the Academy of Economic Studies and also studied post-graduate European Interdisciplinary Studies at the College of Europe. He gained professional experience from private sector and consulting as well from public administration. He worked as the Head of Minister’s Office at Ministry of Health (2009-2010), Financial Assistant at the World Bank (2010-2013) and Project Coordinator at the Aquaproiect Romania (2014-2015). Currently he is involved in several EU funded projects in EaP concerning foreign policy and business.

Sebastian Schäffer is Managing Director at the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) as well as Secretary General of the Danube Rectors’ Conference (DRC) in Vienna and member of the Academic Council of the Munich European Forum e.V. and founding member of MEIA Research e.V. Mr. Schäffer holds an Honor’s Master’s degree in East European studies from the University of Regensburg and an M.A. degree from LMU. His areas of expertise include European Neighbourhood Policy, EU-Russia relations, Eastern Partnership (especially Moldova and Ukraine), EU integration as well as the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

Closing presentation


  • ProjektzeitraumJanuar 2020 – Februar 2021

Burning Bridges?

Transnistrien: Putins nächstes Ziel?

Transnistrien: Putins nächstes Ziel? Über die Lage in der abtrünnigen Provinz der Republik Moldau sprach Sebastian Schäffer in einem Interview mit DER STANDARD.

Auszüge daraus wurden nun ein einem Video veröffentlicht.

Sebastian Schäffer über die Situation in Transnistrien für PULS24

Welche Rolle spielen die Anschläge in Transnistrien innerhalb der Republik Moldau im Kontext des Krieges in der Ukraine? Diese und weitere Fragen beantwortete Sebastian Schäffer im Gespräch mit Daniel Retschitzegger bei PULS24NEWS

Sebastian Schäffer about tensions in Transnistria for Deutsche Welle

Fears grow that Moldova’s separatist region of Transnistria could be drawn into the war. Sebastian Schäffer explained in two interviews for Deutsche Welle if the war could in fact spill over to Ukraine’s neighbouring country and the background the frozen conflict.

Video 1: Sebastian Schäffer about explosions and tensions in Transnistria (English)

Developing the rule of law and strengthening anti-corruption in the Moldovan public procurement sector

Forum (FMG) is currently implementing a project on the rule of law and corruption in the public procurement sector of the Republic of Moldova in cooperation with the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), a Vienna-based think-tank. The project is conducted in the framework of the BACID programme “Building Administrative Capacities of the Countries of the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova – Cycle II”, co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

Corruption and a weak rule of law system are one of the biggest challenges in the aspirations of Moldova to become a European-style democracy with a competition-based, thriving and prosperity-generating market economy. Considering the tremendous economic weight of public procurements, which constituted 4.66% of Moldova’s GDP in the last trimester of 2019, frequent irregular payments and bribes have a particularly severe effect on the country’s economy and its ability to attract foreign investors. In the European Union’s bilateral cooperation with Moldova, anti-corruption and a business-friendly environment regularly appear among the top priorities. Despite considerable legislative and practical progress in Moldova, significant issues remain.

Against this backdrop, the project’s main objective is to facilitate accountable, transparent, efficient and non-discriminatory public procurement as a powerful anti-corruption tool in Moldova. Fair, predictable and swift tender procedures will ultimately benefit good governance, investor-friendliness and boost economic growth.

For this purpose, the project will identify by means of an interdisciplinary methodological approach the legislative gaps and red flags that facilitate corruption and maladministration in the Moldovan public procurement sector. Utilising the established FMG network, the project will match hands-on scientific evidence with practitioners’ experience.

The research findings and policy recommendations will be discussed at two outreach conferences – a mid-term conference taking place in Chisinau in April 2020 and a final conference in Vienna in June 2020. At these conferences a wider audience of public authorities, decision-makers, businesses and advocacy groups in the fields of rule of law and anti-corruption policy will be invited and given the opportunity to influence policy formulation.

The project’s ambition is to work out hands-on practical challenges faced by economic operators in public tenders, find new regulatory solutions and contribute to strengthening civil society and business groups in their advocacy for a better procurement system in Moldova.

The project will be implemented for a duration of six months (January – June 2020). The activities will be coordinated by the FMG, led by a team of dedicated international researchers from Moldova, Austria and Germany.

If you have a stake in this topic, want to learn more about the study impact or kindly stand ready for an interview to share your experience with public procurement in Moldova, please contact us via (info@fmg.md).

The Action is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) through the BACID grant scheme (Building Administrative Capacities in Danube Region & Western Balkans), managed by the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns (AACT) and KDZ Centre for Public Administration Research. This publication/document has been produced with the assistance of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the author/s and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of ADA nor the Austrian Government.

 

Information about the team:

Mihai-Razvan Corman is a law graduate from Humboldt University in Berlin, holder of a Master’s Degree from the College of Europe, PhD Researcher at Ghent University at the Department for European Law and scholarship holder of the Foundation of the German Economy (Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft). His research focuses on the Eastern Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the EU legal instruments in the area of anti-corruption and rule of law in Moldova and Ukraine, on which he has published widely. He has three years of experience working in different international law firms specialised in public procurement law and providing expertise for the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Nicolas Heger is a Young Professional with 3-years+ experience in policy strategy & evaluations, European administration and law, advocacy & public affairs, and business development, all with an international dimension. Nicolas is currently Kyiv-based and works as an independent consultant, involved in EU and German-funded projects to implement Good Governance Reform in Ukraine and Eastern Partnership. Post-graduate of the College of Europe in European Interdisciplinary Studies, mainly researching the legal framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. LL.M. degree holder in European Law at Maastricht University with a distinct interest in EU institutional and administrative Law, Internal Market Regulation and State Aid and Public Procurement Law.

Nicolae Arnaut is a graduate from the State University, Faculty of International Relations and Political Science, a MBA holder from the Academy of Economic Studies and also studied post-graduate European Interdisciplinary Studies at the College of Europe. He gained professional experience from private sector and consulting as well from public administration. He worked as the Head of Minister’s Office at Ministry of Health (2009-2010), Financial Assistant at the World Bank (2010-2013) and Project Coordinator at the Aquaproiect Romania (2014-2015). Currently he is involved in several EU funded projects in EaP concerning foreign policy and business.

Sebastian Schäffer is Managing Director at the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) as well as Secretary General of the Danube Rectors’ Conference (DRC) in Vienna and member of the Academic Council of the Munich European Forum e.V. and founding member of MEIA Research e.V. Mr. Schäffer holds an Honor’s Master’s degree in East European studies from the University of Regensburg and an M.A. degree from LMU. His areas of expertise include European Neighbourhood Policy, EU-Russia relations, Eastern Partnership (especially Moldova and Ukraine), EU integration as well as the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

ProjektzeitraumJanuar 2020 – Februar 2021

Download MTender_anti-corruption_MGF_IDM.pdf