National Research Awards

The tradition of national science prizes began in the early 1990s. It is older than our newly independent state. On 20 August 1990, Prime Minister Edgar Savisaar signed the regulation on founding the national research awards of the Republic of Estonia. Independence was regained a year later. The first awards were granted in 1991. From the very beginning, brilliant or extraordinary achievements have been in focus.

The Estonian state has delegated the pre-selection of laureates of national research awards to the Academy of Sciences. This means helping to draft the rules, announcing the competition, reviewing and registering applications, then analyzing them in depth and communicating the Academy’s recommendations on awarding or non-awarding of prizes to the government. The award committee is set up by the Government of the Republic.

Contact and additional information: Terje Tuisk, terje.tuisk@akadeemia.ee

The Committee is awaiting proposals to be submitted electronically in the Academy of Sciences Competitions e-environment by 10 December 2024.

AWARD CATEGORIES

  1. Lifetime achievement award for long-term excellence in research and development (up to 1 awards, 65 000 euros).
  2. Annual awards to highlight the best research or research cycles completed and published within the last four years (2021–2024, up to 8 awards, á 20 000 euros) in the following fields:
    1) Natural Sciences
    2) Engineering and technology
    3) Medical and health sciences
    4) Agricultural and veterinary sciences
    5) Social Sciences
    6) Humanities and the arts
    See Frascati Manual fields of research
  3. Award for a Scientific Discovery impacting the paradigm and world view of the respective scientific field or pioneering a new field of science, or an invention or research and development based on a scientific discovery that has led to an innovative product with a significant socio-economic impact (up to 1 award, 50 000 euros).

Proposals for the award may be submitted to the committee by the research councils of universities and positively evaluated research and development institutions, academicians of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, council of Estonian Young Academy, the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Estonian Service Industry Association.

When submitting a research collective, the scientific contribution of all members of the collective must be clearly described in the proposal.

Researchers and research teams who have previously been granted the annual award may be re-nominated for the annual award ten years after the award was given for research at a new level.
No part of the research cycle that has received the annual award may be used by co-authors as part of research cycles submitted for the annual award in subsequent years.

Contact: Terje Tuisk, terje.tuisk@akadeemia.ee

Key Documents (in Estonian):
Regulation of the Estonian National Research Awards: riigiteataja.ee/akt/111102024020
Mandate of the National Research Awards Committee: riigiteataja.ee/akt/313122022003