Scientific Awards of the Käthe and Ulrich Pleiß Foundation (Support for Early-Career Researchers in Business and Vocational Education)

Since 2014, the Käthe and Ulrich Pleiß Foundation Award has honored outstanding university qualification theses in the field of business and vocational education in the German-speaking region. Master’s, doctoral, and habilitation theses funded nationwide in Germany and Austria with theoretical, systematic, historical, or empirical focus are awarded annually. The aim is to strengthen the promotion of early-career researchers by recognizing exceptional quality and originality. Up to three works per category receive ranked prizes in cash and kind: master’s theses are endowed with €1,500 to €500, dissertations and habilitation theses with €3,000 to €1,000. The evaluation of theoretical foundation and relevance to business and vocational education is conducted by an independent jury appointed by the foundation’s board.

Prerequisites for nomination include the successful completion of the thesis in the preceding calendar year and submission by a professor authorized to propose candidates. Self-applications are excluded. The application package must include the complete thesis in PDF format, a German-language abstract (1–2 pages), a short curriculum vitae, an evaluation from the supervising professor, and a cover letter from the submitting person. The submission deadline is annually on April 1. Awardees receive a certificate and public recognition at the annual conference of the Section for Vocational and Business Education of the German Society for Educational Science. The foundation invites interested universities and professors to nominate excellent research achievements and thus promote scientific dialogue.