Promoting Ideas
The Charlemagne Prize Academy, established as a new project of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation in 2019, aims to support innovative and creative research ideas, characterized by addressing future challenges and new approaches in a European context.
The idea of the academy consists of 2 pillars: A one-year fellowship programme that is comprising financial and scientific support for outstanding talents planning to research on topics with a European relevance, and a prospective Summit in autumn that is aiming to connect new findings with practical activities.
Our Ambition
Emmanuel Macron, Charlemagne Prize Laureate 2018, at RWTH University in Aachen | © Helmut Rüland
Every year, the patronage for a group of Fellows will be taken on by a distinguished Charlemagne Prize laureate. Due to this special feature, the Charlemagne Prize Fellowship stands out from other programmes by offering the opportunity to connect young and creative minds with global decision-makers and to involve practical knowledge, as well as scientific approaches. Our goal, therefore, is to enable young European talents to get access to an academic or professional career through the establishment of a common network, the exchange with leading personalities and the contact to partner institutions from academia, economy, politics, media or culture. Further, we are thriving to inspire leading European institutions for the crucial issues of the younger generation, which will be relevant to all of us in the future.
Through this mutual benefit, we want to create an environment that looks to the future with a vision and with creativity, which recognizes possible challenges and chances before they enter the general debate and which provides innovative approaches against stagnation and in favour for progress.
The Audience
As uncertainties about the future of Europe rise and the demand for transparency and public debate becomes stronger than ever, the Charlemagne Prize Academy wants to address a wide audience, involving young and old, public and political actors, civil and private institutions, as well as various perspectives that are supporting social progress and democratic values. While our Fellows should get the chance to create a valuable impact for society, the research outcomes and the prospective debates are supposed to create a considerable addition to the scientific and to the popular debate, challenging general assumptions, critically question unvaried practices and uncovering false claims.
In accordance to the goals of the Charlemagne Prize itself, the Academy should help to improve the debate culture concerning political issues and to provide information about the existing data with the intention to promote European developments. Furthermore, its’ results should encourage exchanges and further strengthen the common understanding of Europe.