The Transfer Award of the University of Konstanz Society

About the Transfer Award

University members are committed to knowledge transfer by either nurturing the dialogue between science and society, moving scientific discoveries beyond academic fields, generating interest in and enthusiasm for research, connecting with stakeholders or developing real-life applications for scientific discoveries. They all have one thing in common: their research, teaching and commitment to excellence provide noticeable advantages for society. They have earned our attention, recognition and appreciation.

The University of Konstanz Society (Universitätsgesellschaft Konstanz e. V.) and the University of Konstanz will honour the extraordinary dedication and exceptional achievements in one or more of the aforementioned types of knowledge transfer activities by awarding the Transfer Award. The award is endowed with EUR 3,000.

Nomination process

University members or external partners have until 31 October 2024 to nominate activities and projects at the university for the 2024 Transfer Award. Only members of the University of Konstanz are eligible to receive the prize. The nomination should include an abstract of the project (2 pages maximum) describing how the activity fulfils the criteria for the Transfer Award. Please email your abstracts to ugk@uni.kn. After an initial evaluation by the selection committee, those responsible for short-listed activities may be asked to submit additional information for assessment.

Upcoming nomination deadline: 31 October 2024

Selection committee

• Lisa Kuner, Head of staff unit Knowledge and Technology Transfer
• Professor Dirk Leuffen, Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact
• Professor Ines Mergel, Department of Politics and Public Administration
• Professor Harald Schupp, Department of Psychology
• Professor Bernd Stiegler, Department of Literature, Art and Media Studies

Selection criteria

(The list includes information for all transfer domains. However, not all criteria are relevant for every project.)

• The activity is carried out in exchange with external partners and members of society, the business community, political or cultural fields or other stakeholders. Potentially, the activity leads to follow-up projects or new collaborations. Because the project contents have a high potential for transferability, the activity is suitable to find its way into teaching.
• The activity has a practical applicability and a direct and lasting benefit for society. This might be an application or spin-off, but also an innovative discussion approach to a socially relevant topic, for example in the field of climate protection, migration, health or politics.
• The activity has an impact on society and reaches new target groups. The activity shapes the transfer process in a particularly creative way, incorporating, for example, innovative formats for communication or interaction, thus bringing the underlying research topic to the attention of the general public.

Ineligible projects

Activities that are receiving funding from the UGK at any point during the nomination and selection process are excluded from the competition. Projects that have already received an award in the categories of research or teaching in either the current or previous year are also not eligible for consideration. If you have any individual questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Announcement and award ceremony

The winning project will be announced in the winter term 2024/25. The award ceremony will take place during the New Year's reception of the University of Konstanz Alumni Association (VEUK e. V.): namely on Friday, 31 January 2025 beginning at 6.30 pm. If you nominate a project for the Transfer Award, please inform the project holders in advance about the date of the award ceremony.