Descartes Prize ’05: European Commission awards “European Social Survey” initiated by IUB Dean Max Kaase

On December 2, 2005, the European Commission awarded the Descartes Prize 2005 for “excellence in collaborative research” in London. Of the 85 submissions the “European Social Survey” (ESS) and four more science projects were awarded, each receiving 200.000 Euros prize endowment. Initiator of the first social science project ever to receive this prestigious science honor is Max Kaase, IUB Vice President and Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

[ Dec 03, 2005]  On the occasion of the Descartes Prize 2005 awarding ceremony in London’s Royal Society Max Kaase, Spiritus Rector and major promoter of the ESS, said: “All those involved in the ESS, from its early to its heydays, are happy and proud that the quality and impact of the ESS has been honored by the international Descartes Prize grand jury. We hope that this achievement will also help to further the acceptance of the social sciences as an important and viable domain in the system of European science and research.” The research topics of the other four projects awarded represent the environmental and life sciences, and physics.

The ESS collects longitudinal data on the social, political, and cultural beliefs of Europeans by extensive surveys conducted every two years. Its methodology is regarded as groundbreaking in the field of comparative cultural studies. Additionally the ESS and its results offer a unique platform for recalling data as a basis for analyzing vital societal subjects and cultural change. In the short period of time since 2002, the year of the first survey, more than 7000 users, mostly from academia, but also from government agencies and business, have been registered from all parts of the world. Already seven books and numerous articles have appeared based on data from the survey.

22 and 26 European countries respectively participated in the first and second survey rounds of the years 2002 and 2004. The third round will take place in 2006. The ESS in its many and enormously complex facets is organized by a central coordinating team under the direction of Prof. Dr. Roger Jowell, director of the Centre for Comparative Social Surveys, City University London. The scholarly control lies with a scientific advisory board chaired by Max Kaase. The European Commission, the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the national science funding institutions of the participating countries fund the ESS.

Max Kaase initiated the ESS in 1995. In a 5-year process, based on his experiences with earlier studies and with the help of many colleagues, he prepared the methodological groundwork, and, in his role as a member of ESF’s Standing Committee for the Social Sciences and later as ESF’s Vice President achieved the ESS funding, thus laying the foundations for realizing the ambitious and challenging long-term project.

The Descartes Prize The European Commission launched the annual Descartes Prize to honor scientific excellence serving mankind that was achieved by cross-boarder collaboration. Awarded in the year 2000 for the first time the prize is endowed with 1,000,000 Euros in total. more info »