Erasmus Medal#

The Erasmus Medal (and accompanying Lecture) is a highlight of the year of the Academia Europaea. It is awarded to honour individual European scholarship and achievements over a sustained period.

The procedure for identifying candidates to receive the award:

1. The Council decide on the area(s) for the award. This might be for example, on a four year cycle e.g. humanities, physical sciences, social sciences, biological and medical sciences.
2. A search group of appropriate section chairs will be established, under the co-ordination of a member of the Board of Trustees.
3. The search group will agree on a process and carry out a search for candidates. The search may involve an open call for proposals; a call from within the AE membership, or a more restricted search. Whatever the method chosen, all nominations should come with a citation and suggested referees. The search group create a long-list of at least five candidates.
4. The Search group will then agree a short-list (of not less than three names) and seek referees’ reports for these candidates.
5. The medallist is selected by a vote of the whole Council.

The medallist is selected (at least) one year before the award is actually given.
Being a recipient of other awards is no barrier to receiving the Erasmus medal.
Candidates are not limited to current members of the Academia, as the award carries with it automatic membership.

General criteria for the award#

The Erasmus Medal of the Academia Europaea, is awarded on the recommendation of the Council, to a member or scholar who has maintained over a sustained period, the highest level of international scholarship and recognition by peers. The medalist is invited to give the annual Erasmus Lecture and if appropriate to receive membership.

In addition the search group will take into account:

• that all purely academic nominations are supported by detailed evidence of the suitability of any candidate. This includes their international standing, achievements/impacts in their respective field(s) and impact on European scholarship and the community of scholars.
• Candidates do not already have to be elected members of the Academia Europaea, as the award automatically comes with an invitation to membership.
• Nominations for candidates who might not meet the ‘normal’ Academic/scholarship criteria can be considered: but only where such people have also made a significant and long term impact on scholarship and learning through their personal actions, or where their involvement in ‘the European learning Sector’ and environments has contributed in a substantial way to the promotion of and support for research and learning.
• There is no obligation or suggestion to find a candidate from the country hosting the annual meeting, or a national from the hosting country. However, wherever possible a European based scholar (of any nationality) is most definitely preferred.
• The award is in two parts - the Medal and the Lecture. It is therefore critical that the group take into account the quality of the potential speaker, and their willingness to have the lecture published.

The Erasmus Medal and lecture are currently sponsored by The Heinz-Nixdorf Foundation.

Document

• Erasmus Medal policy (adopted by the Board on 15th July 2014)

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