The Sparkassenverband Science Award is under the patronage of Markus Blume, Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts. He emphasised how important the proximity between research and application in everyday economic life is for the Free State: "The award-winning theses prove that research is most valuable when it has an impact – in the economy, in society and, ideally, in people's everyday lives. The Bavarian Savings Banks Science Award highlights precisely this connection. My sincere congratulations go to the award winners, who today demonstrate how scientific progress shapes the future.‘
All economics and related departments and institutes at Bavarian universities were invited to submit nominations. The search was on for outstanding scientific work related to the banking industry in three categories: ’Best Bachelor's Thesis" (Heinrich Schmidhuber Prize, €2,000), ‘Best Master's Thesis’ (Rudolf Stobäus Prize, €3,000) and ‘Best Dissertation’ (King Max I Prize, €5,000). Nominated theses could not be more than one year old. Criteria for the research award include the transfer of knowledge from science to practice, the potential benefits for the banking industry, and the innovative strength or novelty value of the theses. The best theses were selected by a jury consisting of members of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Sparkassenverband.
The best Master's thesis was “Financing the Future: Using Artificial Intelligence to Predict the Sustainability Impact of Innovations” by Cristina Jakob (supervised by Prof. Claudia Doblinger, TUM Campus Straubing, Professorship Technology and Innovation Management). She emphasises the lively interconnection between research and practice through the science award: ‘The opportunity to share my findings with the practical world proves to me that you can already achieve great things during your studies!’
Matthias Dießl, President of the Bavarian Sparkassenverband, was delighted: "By awarding this prize, we not only want to recognise outstanding achievements, but also send a clear message: scientific excellence and innovative research are the keys to a successful future for our industry. The work being honoured today is proof of the high standard of scientific work being carried out at our universities and colleges. It demonstrates practical relevance and innovative strength at first hand and makes a valuable contribution to a better understanding of topics such as the need for change, artificial intelligence and how Schumpeter's theories can still be applied to economic development today."
