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 application.

The Joachim Herz Award is presented annually, alternating between the natural sciences and the economic sciences. 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, as well as agricultural and industrial production. However, climate change, overuse, and persistent pollutants threaten the availability of clean water and simultaneously turn it into a potential hazard. To address these challenges, innovative approaches are needed—ones that are grounded in excellent economic science, but also require individual risk-taking, societal capacity for action, and entrepreneurial initiative.

The award therefore recognizes innovative and sustainable research approaches that design solutions for our future and aim to bring them into practice over time. The questions addressed may range from economic incentive systems for efficient water consumption to the development of regulatory instruments for a future-oriented circular economy.

Who is eligible for funding?

The award is aimed at economists who hold a doctorate, are in the early stages of their careers, conduct interdisciplinary and practice-oriented research, and are employed at a German university or non-profit research institution with a relevant research background.

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.

What is the amount of funding?

The Joachim Herz Prize 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

Applications can be submitted independently or through nominations. Eligible participants include individuals or research teams working at universities or research institutions in Germany—regardless of whether these are publicly funded or privately organized as non-profit entities. Researchers from other European countries may also apply, provided they will be employed at a German research institution no later than the award ceremony in autumn 2025.

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

Application

The call for proposals begins on January 12 and runs until March 31, 2026.

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