Sponsored by Invest-Con Finanzconsulting Ltd., the first annual awards ceremony to recognize outstanding academic theses took place at the end of May. To mark the occasion, the award winners, their families, the jury members, representatives from Invest-Con Finanzconsulting Ltd., and selected guests assembled in the Johannes Kepler University’s Ceremony Room.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Friedrich Schneider and Ulrich Böheim (Invest-Con) held opening remarks, and Univ. Prof. Dr. Gerald Pruckner (Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics & Business) addressed the guests with some inspirational words, underscoring the significance of these types of awards for students. These awards not only support academic talent, they also make the complex relationships within the world of banking and finance more accessible to a broader public.

Following a short introduction of the jury members (o. Univ. Prof. Dr. Helmut Pernsteiner, Univ. Prof. Dr. Teodoro Cocca, em.Univ. Prof. Dr. Friedrich Schneider, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dorothea Greiling), Univ. Prof. Dr. Teodoro COCCA captured the guests’ attention with his presentation titled “Was macht die Schweiz besser? Wirtschaftsvergleich zwischen Österreich und der Schweiz”.

The members of the jury then introduced the respective award winners’ academic paper before inviting the award recipient on stage to receive their award. Michael Brandstetter, BSc., Lukas Pernegger, BSc., and Markus Sikora, BSc. were presented with awards for their undergraduate thesis, accompanied with prize money in the amount of € 1,500. Franziska Wazinger, BSc. MSc., and Mag. Philumena Bauer, LL.B., were each presented with awards in recognition of their graduate theses, accompanied with prize money in the amount of € 3,000. Dr. Anna Gappmaier was presented with a check for € 5,000 in recognition of her dissertation.

Following the official awards ceremony, all of the award recipients and guests were invited to a reception to chat and connect in a more casual atmosphere.