Franziska Braun Prize

The Franziska Braun Prize, sponsored by the Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation, is awarded for innovative approaches to gender equality at the TU Darmstadt. It is endowed with EUR 25,000 in prize money and is presented every two years in a festive award ceremony. The Advisory Council for Research-Oriented Gender Equality decides on the awarding of the prize.

The Franziska Braun Prize is named after the first female student to attend the TH Darmstadt in 1908. Franziska Braun is first female student to enroll at the TH Darmstadt in the Department of Architecture. This heralded the beginning of a new era. Franziska Braun conquered a field of study that, up to this point in time, had been closed off to women: science and technology. The TU Darmstadt honours its female pioneer by naming its gender equality prize after her.

The prize is given for best-practice models for recruiting women in and for research and academics at the TU Darmstadt on all levels of qualifications (“from students to professors”).

Best Practice Models

  • Concepts
  • Measures
  • Projects
  • Innovative ideas and approaches

Target groups

  • Responsible organisational units (e.g. departments, institutes)
  • Groups of people (e.g. group projects, research groups)

Prize winners

2024: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Podcast: gleichstellung@etit

2022: Department of Chemistry/ Teaching methodology of Chemistry: “Be with it! – Schülerinnen und Studentinnen für grüne Innovationen der TU Darmstadt begeistern” (how to inspire female pupils and students for green innovations of TU Darmstadt)

2020: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology for the „Konsekutive Schülerinnen-Projekttage“ project (Consecutive Girls’ Project Days)

2018: Department of Computer Science for the “Conference of Aspiring Students in Tech Rhein-Main” project

2016: Collaborative Research Centre MAKI (Multi-Mechanisms Adaptation for the Future Internet) for its gender equality concept

2013: Collaborative Research Centre 805 for its “Achilles High Heel” project for “Optimierung lasttragender Systeme” (optimisation of load carrying systems)

2011: Department of Computer Science for the “LAN Party Girls Only” project