Burgenland University of Applied Sciences presented academic awards

Eisenstadt, 2 July 2026. A sense of innovation filled the air on the evening of 1 July at the Eisenstadt campus of Burgenland University of Applied Sciences. From a large number of entries, a jury selected award winners in various categories. Three pupils from Burgenland schools, namely the bilingual Bundesgymnasium Oberwart, the BG/BRG Mattersburg and the BG/BRG Neusiedl am See, were awarded prizes for their final projects.

With these awards, Burgenland University of Applied Sciences underlines the importance of research, innovation and the next generation of scientists for the region and beyond.

Gernot Hanreich Science Prize for Research

Karina Medwenitsch and Christian Pfeiffer: How much should self-sufficiency cost in energy communities? – This thesis examines the extent to which members of energy communities are prepared to bear additional costs for greater energy self-sufficiency, thereby filling a research gap at the interface between energy technology and behavioural economics.

Michael Roither, Robert Pinzolits and Michael Litschka: AI and trust in the media in Austria – a socio-political challenge – This study analyses how artificial intelligence influences trust in traditional media and what consequences this has for democracy and media literacy.

Gernot Hanreich Research Prize – Young Researchers Category

Ronald Ley: HCI in practice: use and significance for hybrid cloud strategies – This work examines how hyper-converged infrastructure is used in Austrian companies and what role it plays as the foundation for hybrid cloud strategies.

Vivien Maria Mileder: Burgenland Croatian as an everyday language – support from a chatbot – This work develops a chatbot as a teaching tool to promote the active use of Burgenland Croatian in children’s everyday lives and to strengthen linguistic identity.

Melanie Tschiedel: Gamification elements in Austrian news media – This thesis analyses how gamification is used in digital news platforms and the opportunities and risks this presents for reader engagement.

Gernot Hanreich Science Prize for Sustainability

Franziska Kasztler: Sustainable Tourism in Austrian DMOs – This thesis examines how destination management organisations can strategically embed sustainability and, based on this, develops a practice-oriented guide for sustainable tourism regions.

Gernot Hanreich Academic Prize for Innovative Teaching

Patrizia Sailer, Franz Knipp and Sebastian Saip: gAmIcode: University teaching with gamification and AI – This paper demonstrates how digital skills can be specifically fostered in non-technical degree programmes using flipped classroom elements, gamification and AI-supported learning aids.

Gernot Hanreich Academic Award for Higher Education Organisation

Sonja Koscholitz: First aid for mental health crises in teaching – possible recommendations for action – This work develops concrete recommendations on how lecturers can provide accessible and meaningful support to students in exceptional mental health situations.

Michael Prodinger: Knowledge management DNA for sustainable higher education development – Drawing on a previously validated model, this work demonstrates how hidden potential for sustainability can be tapped into within a higher education institution’s knowledge management processes, and how sustainable higher education development can be promoted without additional structural changes.

Gernot Hanreich Research Prize for Internationalisation and Mobility

Sarah Aldrian, Kathrin Szabo and Gernot Heschl: Blended Intensive Programmes in the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Health and Nursing – This paper describes how international teaching formats can be implemented within the Health and Nursing degree programme and utilised for international cooperation.

Manuela Kovalev: Building Sustainable International Academic Cooperation: A Triple-Helix Approach to Internationalisation in Higher Education – This paper examines sustainable forms of international academic cooperation and their integration into a triple-helix model.

Pannonia Research Award Junior

Angelice Fuchs (BG/BRG Mattersburg): Sustainable Energy – Potential and Challenges in Austria – This paper provides an overview of the opportunities presented by renewable energy in Austria, whilst also highlighting the economic, political and technical barriers to its expansion.

Leah Gustafsson (BG/BRG Neusiedl am See): Vectors on the Rise: Vector-Borne Diseases in Dogs in Austria – This project explains the most significant vector-borne diseases affecting dogs, examines their zoonotic potential and illustrates the course of the disease using a real-life case from the Parndorf Veterinary Clinic.

Boglárka Tóth (Bilingual Federal Grammar School, Oberwart): Tonal and technical differences between single-coil and humbucker pickups in electric guitars – This project compares the two types of pickup in terms of their tonal characteristics, noise levels and technical functioning in an audiovisual documentary format.

Find out more about Burgenland University of Applied Sciences and available places on degree programmes at www.hochschule-burgenland.at