The Wittgenstein-Preis (Wittgenstein Award) is an Austrian science award supporting the notion that "scientists should be guaranteed the greatest possible freedom and flexibility in the performance of their research." The prize money of up to 1.5 million euro make it the most highly endowed science award of Austria, money that is tied to research activities within the five years following the award. The Wittgenstein-Preis is named after the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and is conferred once per year by the Austrian Science Fund on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Science.
The award provides aims to express recognition and to support "excellent scientists" up to 55 years of age who "have produced exceptional scientific work and who occupy a prominent place in the international scientific community". Awardees receive financial support up to 1.5 million euro to be spent over a period of five years. The award should enhance and extend the research possibilities of the awardees and their research groups.
Nominations can be expressed by rectors as well as vice rectors for research of Austrian universitites; the president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences; the president of IST Austria; and all previous Wittgenstein-Preis awardees. Self-nomination is not permitted, researchers of any discipline are entitled. There are no quotas regulating the distribution of awards between subject areas. Nominees must be 55 years old or younger; permanently employed at an Austrian research institution; internationally recognised in their respective academic field; and have their center of life in Austria for at least one year at the time of the nomination. The awardees are selected by an international jury of experts, the same jury also selects the recipients of the related Start-Preis.
Recipients and affiliation
2016: Peter Jonas, Institute of Science and Technology Austria
2015: Claudia Rapp, Institut für Byzantinistik und Neogräzistik, University of Vienna
2014: Josef Penninger, Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie (IMBA)
2013: Ulrike Diebold, Institut für Angewandte Physik, TU Wien
2012: Thomas Henzinger, IST Austria
2012: Niyazi Serdar Sarıçiftçi, Institut für Physikalische Chemie und Institut für Organische Solarzellen, Universität Linz
2011: Gerhard J.Herndl, Department für Meeresbiologie, Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften, Universität Wien
2011: Jan-Michael Peters, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
2010: Wolfgang Lutz, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Department of Socioeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
2009: Jürgen Knoblich, Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie
2009: Gerhard Widmer, Institut für Computational Perception, Universität Linz
2008: Markus Arndt, Fakultät für Physik, Universität Wien
2007: Rudolf Zechner, Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Universität Graz
2007: Christian Krattenthaler, Fakultät für Mathematik, Universität Wien
2006: Hannes-Jörg Schmiedmayer, TU Wien
2005: Barry J. Dickson, Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie, Wien
2005: Rudolf Grimm, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck
2004: Walter Pohl, Forschungsstelle für Geschichte des Mittelalters, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
2003: Renée Schroeder, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Universität Wien
2002: Ferenc Krausz, Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien
2001: Meinrad Busslinger, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
2001: Heribert Hirt, Department für Pflanzenmolekularbiologie, Universität Wien
2000: Andre Gingrich, Institut für Ethnologie, Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie, Universität Wien
2000: Peter Markowich, Institut für Mathematik, Universität Wien
1999: Kim Nasmyth, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
1998: Georg Gottlob, Institut für Informationssysteme, Technische Universität Wien
1998: Walter Schachermayer, Institut für Informationssysteme, Technische Universität Wien
1998: Peter Zoller, Institut für Theoretische Physik, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck
1997: Erich Gornik, Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Technische Universität Wien
1997: Antonius Matzke, Institut für Molekularbiologie, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
1996: Ruth Wodak, Institut für Sprachwissenschaften, Universität Wien
1996: Erwin Friedrich Wagner, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
