September 16, 2024
On Monday, September 16, 2024, Robert Szilinski, Chairman of the Donors' Alliance at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), presented this year's Wolfgang Eichler Award to Prof. Dr. Reiner Kriesten, Head of the Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility at HKA, who accepted the award on behalf of the Institute. During the ceremony, Ulrike Eichler explained her father's motives for establishing the award.
According to Ulrike Eichler, the award aims to advance applied research at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences under the title "Promoting Foundations" and is endowed with €10,000. It is open to research institutes at HKA that provide significant support to doctoral students in their scientific endeavors. Key selection criteria for the award include the quality of infrastructure, material and financial resources, the overall working environment, and the commitment of staff and professors in offering support to doctoral students.
Wolfgang Eichler, entrepreneur, honorary senate member, long-standing chairman of the Donors' Alliance and himself an HKA graduate, was a dedicated supporter of "his university" for many years. He expressed particular joy at the advancements in applied research in laboratories and scientific institutions - developments that were "as yet unthinkable" during his own time as a student.
The Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility was bestowed the award for its exceptional ability to secure third-party funding, the outstanding quality of its research and teaching, its robust local and international partnerships, and its commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where all members of the Institute work together as equals.
The Wolfgang Eichler Award “Promoting Foundations” will be awarded a total of three times, the next and last time being in 2026.
Since 2005, the Donors' Alliance has been dedicated to supporting outstanding projects and initiatives that cannot be financed by the faculties themselves. It primarily backs efforts that promote the university's goal of becoming an emission-free campus, along with its ecological focus and innovative projects addressing societal challenges. The integration of international students is also a key priority in these initiatives.
The Donors' Alliance at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences is a foundation under civil law. Ambitious benefactors and interested donors thus can support Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences financially or in kind so that HKA will continue to be an outstanding, modern and competitive educational and scientific institution.
