An award for Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary European Studies will be presented on occasion to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to development or knowledge in the area of European Studies.

UACES was delighted to be able to honour Beate Kohler-Koch as the winner of the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was made at the UACES Annual Conference in Angers, France, 2009.

 

Beate Kohler-Koch

 

Beate Kohler-Koch is Emeritus Professor and former Chair for International Relations and European Affairs at the University of Mannheim. She is project director at the MZES, Mannheim University and since 2008 has been ‘Bremen Distinguished Professor’ at the Bremen International Graduate School of the Social Sciences (BIGSSS). Professor Kohler-Koch was chairwoman of the German Political Science Association, the IPSA Research Committee on European Unification and the German Association of European Studies. She was invited as visiting professor to several universities at home and abroad, and is currently honorary professor at Nankai University, China and doctor honoris causa of Oslo University. She is member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Akademie der Wissenschaften. She initiated and coordinated a large national research programme (1996 - 2005) on ‘Governance in the EU’, as well as the EU-funded Network of Excellence CONNEX on ‘Efficient and Democratic Governance in a Multi-Level Europe’ (2004-2008). In a very rich research career, this leading Professor has produced many important publications which have shaped the European Studies research agenda across a wide range of topics. In recent year her research has concentrated on the transformation of governance at both EU and national level, and also on the contribution of civil society to EU democracy. It is perhaps in these areas that her contributions to the field have been most widely studied, cited and enjoyed. Her most recent publications can be viewed at www.kohler-koch.de.

Confidential nominations from UACES members are invited for a future UACES Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations will be received and considered by a jury delegated by the UACES Chair, and confidential soundings may be taken as appropriate with other longstanding UACES members, especially former officers of the Association, before the Award is made.

The criteria on which an Award will be granted relate to the overall intellectual and personal contribution which a person has made through a career working in European Studies, through teaching, research and scholarship, and - where appropriate - through related political/professional work in the broadest sense. The person should have a demonstrable track record of achievement and contribution to European Studies. It is anticipated that the UACES Award will be made to a person who has been involved with the Association in some way.

Regard will be had, where appropriate, to the fact that an individual has been nominated by many of their colleagues and peers, but this process should not be treated as a numerical exercise or an election.