Joachim Herz Award
The research award, endowed with €500,000, honors outstanding scientists who wish to further advance their research or facilitate the transfer of their research projects into practical applications. The Joachim Herz Award is presented annually, alternating between the natural sciences and economics and business administration.
In 2026, the award will focus on the thematic priority “Smarter use of water.”
Smarter Use of Water
Water is an indispensable resource. It is essential for ecological systems, human health, and agricultural and industrial production. However, climate change, overuse, and persistent pollutants are threatening the availability of clean water while simultaneously turning it into a potential threat. Solving problems related to climate change requires innovative solutions based on excellent scientific research, as well as individual risk-taking, social capacity for action, and entrepreneurship.
The Joachim Herz Award honors promising scientists who show outstanding potential in their field of research and whose interdisciplinary research proposal offers solutions to major societal challenges such as the smart use of water.
Who is eligible for funding?
The award is designated for early-career scientists who have obtained a doctorate in economics or business administration and are engaged in interdisciplinary and applied research.
What is funded?
Funded projects are economic research initiatives that cross disciplinary boundaries and creatively incorporate approaches from other fields to develop groundbreaking solutions for the smart use of water. In addition to addressing the topic of water, the contribution should outline, based on the scientific research project, a transfer project that promotes implementation in business, society, or politics.
Possible topics could include for example behavioral innovations to increase efficiency in water consumption, approaches that address the governance of water as a public good, work on digital and urban innovations for water resilience, and the financing and implementation of nature-based water solutions in nature and agriculture, as well as analyses of the development and financing of entrepreneurial and technical innovations in the water sector in general and in particular with regard to water quality and safety.
The call for applications is particularly focused on projects that transcend the conventional boundaries of economics and business administration and draw on developments from other fields to develop advanced methods and applications.
What is the amount of funding?
The Joachim Herz Award is endowed with €500,000. The funds must be used exclusively for the research project described in the application. Eligible expenses include, among others, personnel, material, and infrastructure costs, as well as travel expenses and transfer projects in the pre-competitive area. Administrative costs of the institution (overhead) are excluded. The funds will be transferred to the institution where the award winners are employed at the time of the award ceremony.
Requirements
Individuals working at universities or other research institutions in Germany (public and private non-profit) are eligible to apply. Researchers from other European countries may also apply, if they have taken up a position at a German research institution by the time of the award ceremony.
Criteria:
- Interdisciplinary approach
- Scientific excellence and level of innovation (pioneering character)
- Concrete efforts toward knowledge transfer, reflected in the planned use of funds
- Social relevance and sustainability
Documents
- General understandable summary of how the project contributes to smart water management
- Motivation letter of the applicant
- Abstract of the project
- Description of the scientific project
- Bibliography
- Curriculum Vitae
- Cost plan
- Consent of the institution to manage the project
- Overview of participating project partners
Downloads:
Selection Process & Award Ceremony
- Application by an individual (cooperation partners from academia and practice are encouraged)
- Pre-selection of a shortlist with three nominations by the jury
- Pitch by the nominees at the Joachim Herz Foundation in Hamburg
- Subsequent confidential selection meeting of the jury
- Public award ceremony on September 3, 2026, in Hamburg
- Prize money: €500,000, project-based for three years
Timeline
- Online-Info-Session: February 4, 1:30 p.m. | Registration
- Jury review: March/April 2026
- Nomination of shortlist: May 2026
- Jury selection meeting including presentation of shortlisted candidates: June 10-11, 2026
- Award ceremony: September 3, 2026
Contact
