This award is presented in recognition of outstanding scholarly research addressing the subject of workplace partnerships and their importance to companies and to the community.

The award is presented every two years in close cooperation with the JKU. Under the leadership of em. o. Univ. Prof. Friedrich Schneider, the Institute for Partnership-based Corporate Governance and the Research Institute of Banking and Finance provide valuable support in this area.

The 2025 Awards Ceremony
Following opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Gerald Pruckner, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Business & Economics at the JKU, Dr. Christoph Leitl, Chairman of the Global Chamber Platform and Co-Chair of the Supervisory Board at Leitl-Werke, outlined what the award is all about. Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. Friedrich Schneider delivered the evening’s keynote speech with a presentation titled “Sind die USA noch unser Freund/Verbündeter? Eine erste (vorläufige) Bilanz der Trump'schen Wirtschaftspolitik”.
The award winners then presented their academic papers before the awards were presented. The evening concluded with a group discussion in a celebratory setting.

The 2025 Award Winners
During the ceremony, awards were presented in recognition of the following outstanding academic papers:

• Stefan Hofer, BSc (Faculty of Social Sciences, Business & Economics, JKU):
  Bachelor’s thesis: Corporate Social Responsibility und Unternehmensrisiko
• Mag. Dr. Daniela Cortés (Faculty of Social Sciences, Business & Economics, JKU):
  Dissertation: Sustainability Reporting and Control in the Construction Industry
• Dr. Florian Köhne (Faculty of Social Sciences, Business & Economics, JKU):
  Academic publication: Polycratic Governance in Hybrid Organisations: The Reenchantment of Collegiality

Univ. Prof. Friedrich Schneider, Dean Univ. Prof. Gerald Pruckner, and Dr. Christoph Leitl presented the recipients with the awards. Awards were presented in the categories of Bachelor’s thesis, dissertations, and academic publications.  

The call for submissions to the 2027 Karl Leitl Partnership Award, opens an external URL in a new window is currently open. Scholars are invited to submit their papers and apply to be considered for the prestigious award.