FRANKFURT. Scientific cooperation today extends far beyond the exchange of knowledge. Research partnerships create connections between individuals, institutions and societies, often in contexts where political tensions, conflict or humanitarian crises make dialogue more difficult. The Goethe Science Diplomacy Award recognizes researchers who have made outstanding contributions to this form of international engagement. The award complements Goethe University’s ongoing commitment to academic freedom and international solidarity, including its participation in the Scholars at Risk network and its support for researchers, doctoral candidates and students facing threats or displacement. In its inaugural year, the award was presented to two members of Goethe University: cultural anthropologist and folklorist Prof. Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik and biodiversity and global health researcher Dr. Ulrich Kuch.

The award is supported by the Giersch Foundation and former Goethe University President Prof. Klaus Ring. Their generosity enabled the Foundation to divide this year’s €4,000 prize money between two recipients.

“Although the award recipients come from very different disciplines, they share an exceptional commitment to international cooperation in practice,” said Dr. Johannes Müller, Head of Goethe University’s Global Office, at the award ceremony. “Alongside their academic achievements, both have demonstrated a sustained commitment to strengthening international collaboration and scientific exchange. In this respect, they truly embody the spirit of this award.” Prof. Jürgen Bereiter-Hahn, Chair of the Foundation, highlighted the distinctive focus of the award: “While scientific research is generally aimed at observing and analyzing its subject matter, this award recognizes another dimension of academic work: the commitment to translating knowledge into societal action and contributing to the development of one’s wider environment.”

Prof. Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik: Building Bridges Through Academic Freedom and International Dialogue
Cultural anthropologist and folklorist Prof. Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik, Research Fellow at the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology, received the Goethe Science Diplomacy Award in recognition of her academic journey, which has always considered research, international networking and exchange, and commitment to academic freedom as inseparable.

In her laudatory speech, Dr. Katharina Graf, a fellow researcher at the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology, highlighted that academic freedom is more than a subject of Birkalan-Gedik’s scholarship, it is the basis of the bridges she builds between academia and civil society. Drawing on an international academic career spanning the US, Turkey, and Europe, Birkalan-Gedik has built enduring networks in politically sensitive research contexts. As a member of the Executive Board of the Société Internationale d´Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF), she represents Goethe University within one of the world's leading international scholarly societies in ethnology and folklore. As co-editor of Fabric of Anthropological Knowledge (2025), a volume supported by the Georg and Franziska Speyer Foundation and Goethe University Frankfurt, she has introduced perspectives that have long been underrepresented in the discipline.

At Goethe University, Birkalan-Gedik actively promotes intercultural dialogue on issues including democratization, migration, and religion – with a special focus on Alevis living in Germany – through conferences, workshops, and collaborative research initiatives. She also mentors international scholars, initiates new academic partnerships, and establishes lasting frameworks for cooperation with partners operating under challenging academic conditions. As an associate member of the Cornelia Goethe Center, Birkalan-Gedik contributes to strengthening feminist academic perspectives at an institutional level.

“Hande Birkalan-Gedik’s academic and civic engagement brings research into conversation with some of the most pressing questions of our time – from coexistence and displacement to interfaith dialogue,” Graf said. “Her work makes her an outstanding advocate for international understanding and scholarly solidarity.”

Dr. Ulrich Kuch: Building Scientific Cooperation in Challenging Contexts
Dr. Ulrich Kuch of the Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine in Goethe University’s Faculty of Medicine, received the award in recognition of his long-standing international engagement in healthcare, capacity building and scientific cooperation. Fascinated by snakes since childhood, he joined the German Society for Herpetology (DGHT) at age 12 and started studying these animals and their venoms –the beginning of a scientific career that would later take him to some of the most remote regions of the world.

“Despite his passion for reptiles, he never lost sight of the human element,” Johannes Müller said in his laudation. Combining scientific expertise with practical engagement, Kuch has supported medical training, professional exchange and research collaboration across Africa, South America, and South and Southeast Asia. His work has focused on strengthening local capacities and facilitating cooperation among researchers and healthcare professionals working in challenging political and humanitarian contexts. A particular emphasis of his activities has been on the globally neglected topic of snakebite envenoming and on supporting researchers at risk by facilitating access to training opportunities, professional networks and international academic cooperation.

Since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021 and the following war, Kuch has devoted special efforts to supporting healthcare provision in conflict-affected regions and assisting researchers facing political persecution. In addition to supporting members of the democratic National Unity Government of Myanmar on diplomatic missions in Europe, he has also played a key role in developing cooperation between Goethe University Frankfurt and Kachin State Comprehensive University, a new university established after the coup by members of Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement who had to flee from persecution by the military junta and have since provided educational and research opportunities for students and academics under difficult conditions in a liberated region of northern Myanmar.

The Goethe Science Diplomacy Award
Under the motto “Research connects across borders,” the Foundation for the Promotion of International Scientific Relations at Goethe University Frankfurt has been presenting the Goethe Science Diplomacy Award annually since 2026.

The award recognizes outstanding initiatives and projects that promote international collaboration, strengthen the freedom of research, and enable global understanding. These include, for example, international research collaborations with partner institutions in challenging or crisis-affected regions, commitment to supporting at-risk researchers, innovative forms of international cooperation in research and teaching, as well as exceptional international conferences and exchange formats.

All Goethe University faculty members are eligible for nomination. All university members, as well as participating partner institutions within larger research networks, are invited to submit nominations. The award recipients are selected by an independent jury composed of members of the Foundation’s board of trustees, the university’s executive board, and the Global Office.