ConSense ScientificAward

Interdisciplinary award for innovative approaches to quality and integrated management

How can quality management become even more efficient, better, more comprehensible? How can action at the technical, organisational or staff levels increase the acceptance and vitality of management systems? And how can an integrated management system reflect new work practices and regulatory requirements? 

Our interdisciplinary ConSense ScientificAward is intended to reward the work of young scientists who have developed innovative and modern approaches to quality management or integrated management in the context of a research project.  

Submitted contributions should focus on the design of effective as well as accepted management systems and may address any of the following or related topics: quality management, integrated management systems, risk management, management of key performance indicators, qualification management, process management, training management, knowledge management or data protection management. Eligible entries can be theses to achieve a Bachelor's, Master's, Engineering Diploma, Doctorate or MBA degree in Germany, Austria or Switzerland in German or English. 

Promoting young talents and fresh concepts in quality management 

With the ConSense ScientificAward, we would like to advocate the vitality and acceptance of quality management on the one hand and on the other, offer graduates a forum to present their work to an expert audience and exchange ideas with like-minded specialists. The QM award for young professionals is endowed with 1,000 euros. 

Theses submitted to us will be evaluated by a distinguished, independent jury. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the jury who have supported our previous awards:

• Dr Benedikt Sommerhoff (DGQ)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Susanne Mütze-Niewöhner (RWTH Aachen)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roland Jochem (TU Berlin)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Wolf (FH Aachen)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Rosenbaum (HTW Dresden)
• Prof. Dr. Jan Mendling (HU Berlin)

Evaluation criteria include innovation potential, theoretical level, practicability, benefit to the profession, environment and society, economic efficiency and the form of presentation. 

ScientificAward 2022 for holistic process management 

The 4th ConSense ScientificAward went to Vivien Sohn in April 2022 for her outstanding thesis "Introducing a holistic process management scheme aiming at future viability and competitive advantages using the example of HÜBSCHER Holzbau AG", submitted to IUBH Internationale Hochschule GmbH. The Swiss Master's student received the award during the digital QM trade fair ConSense EXPO 2022. She presented her award-winning work in a personal keynote speech.

View the recording of the award ceremony and the keynote speech of the winner.
(Note: Only available in German language.)

Since its first announcement in 2016, the ConSense ScientificAward has provided a stage for a number of intelligent management concepts. The fresh perspectives of the award-winning graduates provide specialists with valuable input for the strategic and operational development of their management systems.

Winner 2019: Carola Roll (Danube University Krems) with her Master's thesis "Organising self-organisation: Designing an effective lean management scheme for SME in the mechanical and plant engineering sector with the help of the Viable System Model", which aims to ensure "controllability [of companies] in a highly complex, dynamic context with limited predictability".

Winner 2017: Wolfgang Grasl (Danube University Krems) with his master's thesis "Lean leadership in production - leadership concepts for a sustainable implementation of the lean philosophy". In his thesis he investigated the following research question: "What concepts of leadership are needed in the production industry to successfully establish lean management in a company?

Winner 2016: Kai Erler (Wismar University of Applied Sciences) with his Master's thesis "Analysing the implementation of mandatory methods in quality management". He used a quantitative survey to answer the question "whether mandatory QM methods [in companies in the automotive industry] are actually put into practice with sufficient care and consistency".

Submissions open again from 1 November 2022 

The application period for the next ConSense ScientificAward starts on 1 November 2022 and ends on 25 June 2023. The award ceremony is planned for our virtual QM fair ConSense EXPO in autumn 2023. You will also receive up-to-date information and news via our newsletter. 

Terms and Conditions:      

• To be entitled to participate, an application - including thesis (PDF), curriculum vitae (PDF) and contact details. Currently relevant deadlines are to be found on this page. Participation is free of charge.
• Participation requires acceptance of the terms and conditions. By participating, the participant accepts them.
• The participant has a bachelor, master, engineering diploma, PhD or MBA degree. Eligible are theses published or submitted in the communicated timeframe in Germany, Austria or Switzerland in the field of the topics listed below.
• Possible topics of work that promote effective and accepted management systems: Quality management; integrated management systems; risk management, key figures management, skill management, process management, training management or knowledge management; establishment of QM in the company; motivation for employees to work with QM; or, if applicable, related topics.
• The ConSense ScientificAward is awarded by the ConSense GmbH.
• The jury evaluates the entries according to the evaluation criteria and selects a winner. The evaluation criteria include theoretical basis, innovation potential, academic content, real-life application, benefits for the industry, environment and society, economic efficiency as well as the form of presentation.
• The winner will receive the ConSense ScientificAward 2022, the prize money of 1,000 euros and a certificate.
• The winner may give a short presentation (approx. 30 minutes) about the thesis at the award ceremony. Its time and place will be announced on this page.
• Personal data of the participants will only be stored and processed within the scope and for the purpose of the ConSense ScientificAward. In particular, it will only be forwarded to the jury members for the purpose of evaluation. The ConSense GmbH privacy notice also applies.
• ConSense GmbH reserves the right to exclude participants from the competition, if they violate terms and conditions. Participants, who use unauthorised means or otherwise gain an advantage through tampering or manipulation, will be disqualified. If necessary, the prize will be subsequently withdrawn and reclaimed. Anyone who provides untrue or false personal information will also be disqualified. 
• ConSense GmbH reserves the right to discontinue this competition at any time without prior notice if a proper execution cannot be guaranteed due to technical or legal reasons.
• Legal recourse is excluded.