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The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) honors researchers with its highest prizes.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) has awarded its highest prizes: Mathematician László Erdős and quantum physicist Markus Arndt share the Erwin Schrödinger Prize. The Wilhelm Hartel Prize goes to the historian Deborah Klimburg-Salter and the Elisabeth Lutz Prize goes to the biologist Karoline Kollmann. The awards, each endowed with 15,000 euros, will be presented virtually along with other prizes for young scientists on Thursday.

Foundations created

The Erwin Schrödinger Prize goes equally to the Hungarian mathematician László Erdős and the quantum physicist Markus Arndt. Erdős, who with a proof of the so-called “Wigner Hypothesis” from the 1950s created a mathematical basis for dealing with very different scientific and technical questions, has been working at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria) since 2013 . Arndt, who has explored experimentally in the field of quantum nanophysics how matter wave interferometry can be developed into a highly sensitive measurement method, completed his habilitation in 2002 at the University of Vienna, where he has been professor of quantum nanophysics since 2004.

Enzyme research

For her research work on the role of special enzymes (CDK6 cell cycle kinase) in disorders of blood formation, Karoline Kollmann receives the Elisabeth Lutz Prize, which is awarded to young researchers in the life sciences. Kollmann has been a postdoc at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna since 2016.

Klimburg-Salter receives the Wilhelm Hartel Prize “in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of Asian art history,” announced the OeAW on Tuesday. She is particularly interested in the cultural exchange on the “Silk Road” and in the Himalayas.

As a professor for non-European art history at the University of Vienna, Klimburg-Salter had “made her subject” world-wide and committed to the preservation and communication of the cultural heritage “. She curated numerous exhibitions and was instrumental in revitalizing the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul.

Further prizes from the academy go to 23 young researchers. The winners will present their work in short videos on the OeAW's YouTube channel.

The Austro economy is very export-oriented. In the government's latest vaccination plan, key workers should only get vaccinations with the large majority of the population – not in the previous phase, as was previously planned. That’s probably only in summer. Companies whose people oversee projects abroad are now growing dissatisfaction with the vaccination strategy, and some are trying to get vaccines themselves, Ö1 reported Tuesday morning. The vaccine manufacturers' association warns.

As one of the few company bosses who express the criticism publicly, Palfinger boss Andreas Klauser affirmed on the radio that his company “could not just watch and sit idly by what happens”. Palfinger was recently the victim of a cyber attack and he, Klauser, has to make sure that the listed company with 11,000 employees worldwide functions as best as possible.

You have “already gotten a few dents in the crisis”. “We are simply trying to take additional support measures here in order to be able to act in the best possible way,” says Klauser of the vaccine initiative. “We have received offers. We are currently reviewing them.” It is about residual quantities from abroad for around 200 to 250 key employees. It is not about torpedoing the national vaccination plan. Competitors from Scandinavia could already start traveling from April. Klauser had already said something similar in the “Salzburger Nachrichten”.

The domestic vaccine contingent is not attacked by the private acquisition. In principle, they would be legal private purchases.

Renée Gallo-Daniel, President of the Association of Austrian Vaccine Manufacturers, expresses understanding for the fact that companies want to protect their employees by looking for vaccines themselves. In her association, however, this is viewed “very critically,” she said on the “Morgenjournal” of ORF radio Ö1. “We would really make the appeal here: If such an offer comes, please contact the authorities.”

One knows such offers that companies would receive: “And we really have to warn against this, because the vaccines that are offered here either cannot come from legal sources or there are also a lot of counterfeits in circulation.” “The background is that in the context of the pandemic in Europe and around the world, Covid-19 vaccines are only offered in public, national vaccination programs.”

The Federation of Industrialists (IV) has always shown restraint when it comes to companies procuring vaccines themselves. In principle, companies are advised to adhere to the national vaccination schedule. But key workers should also have priority, because they are necessary to ensure the competitiveness of the Austrian economy on the world market.

It starts like a normal day in March 2020. “Morgähn …” calls the ball-shaped, bulbous-nosed Paul to his well-groomed partner Konrad. He waves it away: “Better go straight back to bed! It's lockdown outside!” Corona is also having an impact in everyday German (and gay) life. “This new virus from Wuhan” turns the lives of the opposing comic couple, their friends and relatives upside down. It will stay that way until the end of the year.

Image: APA

While drive-controlled Paul feels badly slowed down for months (emergency signal: “Fiep …”) and Schöngeist Konrad tries to enjoy the tranquility of the lockdown life, her creator Ralf König used the pandemic time very productively. Since the beginning of lockdown a year ago, he has been lovingly and amusingly describing the worries and hardships, but also joys and jokes of his cartoon characters every day until the end of October.

The 180 tableaus have now been published by Rowohlt in the anthology “Vervirte Zeiten” – a corona diary with predominantly gay staff, but with a lot of generality. “All Konrad and Paul episodes from the Internet and many previously unpublished bonus episodes are now collected here and can be read in one go,” says König for his work, which was born out of necessity. “Bound and printed on good old paper. You can stay at home there.”

The major themes he had planned up to then – “Political correctness, gender-sensitive language, quarrels in the queer scene and despicable old white men” – were suddenly out of the window, König stated in the foreword. “In my perplexity, I quickly posted scribbled cartoons on Facebook, which I seldom do. As a book author, you make a living from selling books, so I was always suspicious of free entertainment,” emphasizes the 60-year-old, who since the huge success of “The Moving Man” (1994 Filmed in a terrific way by Sönke Wortmann) is one of the most popular German comic artists.

Instead of an ambitious large-scale project, the small form: one scene per day, composed of four panels, at the end a nice punchline – or sometimes none, just like in real life. It is about dealing with Corona in two-person and other relationships, about lust and frustration, ESC and other cancellations, visiting bans, toilet paper debates, neglect tendencies, the wasted daily routine.

Often, due to the lack of an exit point, people only make calls or zoom in on these comic pictures – and it sometimes turns out to be hearty and dirty, as is not uncommon with König. A “running gag” about a particularly attractive supermarket branch manager who turns the gay scene on works as a red thread. In addition to rough thigh knocks (brand: leather fetish types always have their protective masks on their men), König also has a lot to say about the “general slowdown” of this year. “Lost times” are confused times.

The pandemic gave him “a remarkable creative kick in the ass,” reports the comic author, who was born in Soest / Westphalia and has lived in Cologne for a long time. “I let the events drift from day to day, influenced often enough by new messages or inspirational entries in the comment bars.” Angela Merkel appears on page 10 of the book, with what is probably her second most famous sentence (after “We can do it”): The Chancellor warns in a TV address “It's serious. Take it seriously.”

Ralf König had a hope when he submitted his successful Corona chronicle, which ends with a cozy New Year's Eve for Paul and Konrad, in conciliatory terms: If the book is on the market in spring 2021, “hopefully the siren will stop wailing and we will be able to go maskless again Squeeze and hug and otherwise shamelessly get on your skin. That'll be nice “. Unfortunately it turned out differently. The comic master drawer, his characters and we readers still need a little patience.

(SERVICE – Ralf König: “Vervirte Zeiten”, Rowohlt, 192 pages. 24.70 euros.)

In the turbulent year 2020, there was no turbulence, at least with the grape harvest. The harvest volume increased by three percent to 2.40 million hectoliters (hl) and was thus slightly above the average of the past five years (+2 percent), Statistics Austria announced on Tuesday. Corona-related sales shortfalls in the catering trade and at events ensured well-stocked wine cellars.

The wine stock amounted to 2.93 million hl and remained at a very high level for the second year in a row, despite an average harvest in the previous year. In the five-year mean, this corresponded to an increase of 14 percent. The Austria-wide stock of white wine remained at the previous year's level at 1.72 million hectoliters in 2020, the stock of red wine decreased by 4 percent to 1.21 million hl.

In the previous year, white wine production remained largely at the level of 2019 at 1.65 million hl; for red wine, the harvest rose by 7 percent compared to 2019 to 751,600 hl and was thus around the five-year average.

The grape harvest in Burgenland last year was particularly good. Thanks to favorable weather conditions, the harvest volume rose by 9 percent to 618,100 hl, according to Statistics Austria. Lower Austria achieved an average wine harvest of 1.51 million hectoliters, and in Styria the harvest was similar to 2019 with a volume of 238,600 hl. In Vienna, 25,300 hl of wine were harvested, which was roughly the five-year average and an increase compared to 2019 of 3 percent meant.

The new organ for Linz's landmark, the Pöstlingberg Church, should be ready by early 2023 at the latest. The Freiburg organ building site in Späth is building the instrument; the diocese surprisingly won the Linz-born media and performance artist VALIE EXPORT for the artistic design. The project was presented on Tuesday.

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VALIE EXPORT, who celebrated her 80th birthday last year, said in an APA birthday interview that she had thought for a long time whether she should come up with a concept for the organ. Ultimately, she decided to go for it because as a child she loved the Pöstlingberg and the basilica so much: “The memory of it seduced me. Giving the organ pipes an environment is an exciting task.”

Only plans show what this environment will look like. As part of the design, she chose the words “Whoever understands has wings”. With this sentence she ties in “both the level of understanding and belief”, according to the press. The veil boards are also reminiscent of grand pianos – they cover the empty space between the organ pipes and the frame of the organ. “The church interior and the instrument thus become a place that is at home with our thinking and our thoughts, but at the same time also elevate us”, was quoted VALIE EXPORT, who did not come to the presentation on the Pöstlingberg in person due to the corona.

The old organ from 1943 was no longer playable, an inexpensive digital instrument for the late Baroque landmark of Linz, the second largest pilgrimage church in Austria, unsuitable, said Siegfried Adlberger, organ and bell speaker of the diocese of Linz. The Späth organ building workshop was commissioned with an adequate organ. Except for a fan and the lighting on the gaming table, the new one will also be operated purely mechanically. “It is an instrument with three manuals and a pedal, the basic disposition of which is baroque. A small swell extends the musical possibilities in the direction of romanticism and serves as an optimized choir accompaniment”, explained Tilmann Späth.

The parish wants to raise the necessary 700,000 euros for the new acquisition with the support of the diocese, city, country and donation campaigns. So far, 430,000 euros have been collected. Benefit concerts such as on October 12th with the Florian Boys' Choir are also planned.

Metro is planning radical changes for the anniversary.

The discounter Hofer has shown the way, now the wholesale chain Metro is also announcing radical changes in purchasing in Austria.

No more paper price tags, more fresh products such as fruit and vegetables at the entrance and at some point in the future no more cash registers – these are the plans that the local discounter Hofer (you can read all the details here) is pursuing, as it became known on Monday. On Tuesday, the wholesale market provider Metro announced its plans. Everything should revolve around “the expansion of services and private label share”, it says in a press release from the company.

On March 2, 1971, exactly 50 years ago, the first Metro wholesale market outside of Germany was opened in Vienna-Vösendorf. At that time, 36,000 articles were offered, which was a sensation – as well as the longest opening times in the country and exclusive membership via customer card. Metro currently has twelve wholesale stores in Austria and employs around 2,100 people in its stores.

“Together we are the Metro team, which sticks together even when there is no cheer – as is currently the case due to COVID-19. (…) We have been proving this for 50 years and of course in our anniversary year, which is about to best support the hotel and catering industry during the restart phase. This is what METRO is always about, also in the next 50 years “, says Metro Austria boss Xavier Plotitza.

The Salzburg platform is currently expanding the Austria-wide delivery service for gastronomy customers in order to better serve hotels and restaurants. “In terms of renovation technology, investments will also be made in the locations in Linz and Wels this year. In addition, photovoltaics will be further expanded on the roofs of the twelve wholesale stores: St. Pölten, Simmering, Klagenfurt and Wiener Neustadt are already equipped,” the company said.

Metro already has a private label share of over 20 percent in the catering industry and is therefore the market leader in wholesale, according to the company. It is planned to increase this to 26 to 28 percent over the next ten years. And: In general, all Metro countries have committed to replacing conventional single-use plastics with reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives by 2025. Numerous products are being converted.

“Togetherness and solidarity – the 'Newgether' – is therefore also the central element of the Metro corporate and success philosophy that is emphasized in the campaign. Therefore, with the motto 'Metro Metro – 50 years', all people are the focus who have been contributing to the company's success for 50 years, all customers, partners and employees of Metro – together an unbeatable team. The campaign was developed together with the creative agency Heimat Wien and will be played out in Austria all year round, “said Metro about the last step of the anniversary project .

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie sold a picture painted by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at Christie's auction house in London for more than eight million pounds. The painting “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” fetched 8.29 million pounds (the equivalent of around 9.57 million euros) on Monday evening – a record price according to the auction house, which had reckoned with 1.5 to 2.5 million pounds for a work of the politician.

Image: APA (AFP)

The painting is considered to be Churchill's only work that he painted during the Second World War – namely in 1943 after the Casablanca Conference in Morocco, at which Churchill met with the then US President Franklin Roosevelt. The Briton is said to have given the picture to Roosevelt, whose family owned the work for a long time. How the US actress Jolie came into possession of the work remained unclear.

Churchill (1874-1965), who ruled Great Britain during the Second World War and again in the 1950s, was considered a passionate artist in addition to his political career, who painted hundreds of pictures during his lifetime.

In the corona pandemic, Sunday work could become the norm, the union fears.

The Christian trade unionist faction in the GPA moves out to “defend the Sundays and Holidays”. Work on Sunday should not become normal.

Short-time work, home office, closed companies or companies that are completely overloaded – the corona pandemic not only causes extremely high unemployment, but also completely shakes the everyday life of workers. Now the group of Christian trade unionists in the union GPA (FCG / GPA) is sounding the alarm and, as they say, “defending the Sundays and Holidays” in the country.

“Especially in times of Corona, when the psychological stress on people increases and the week loses its structure, Sunday is all the more valuable to give people a rhythm,” said Wolfgang Pischinger, Federal Chairman of the FCG / GPA. Franz Gosch, Federal Managing Director of the FCG in the GPA trade union, agrees: “It is not easy to spend your free time with others even in Corona times due to the restrictions that are necessary to control the pandemic.”

This is precisely why the importance of families and friends increased in times of crisis. “A reason to keep the free Sunday as a common day,” the group said in a broadcast. Models like home office do offer a new level of flexibility, according to Gosch, “which has many advantages, but can also be dangerous to the detriment of the work-life balance. To strengthen this, too, a day off together is more important than ever.”

The pandemic has been wrestling a lot from people for a year. “For many, the strain is almost unbearable. People need Sunday to breathe deeply,” said the group. That is why the “Alliance for the Free Sunday” wants to fight. It is a “colorful alliance of churches, trade unions and civil society organizations that was launched 20 years ago”.

As part of the Styrian show of the Universalmuseum Joanneum, the Kunsthaus Graz takes a look ahead: The exhibition “What will be. From the future to the future” takes up questions about digitization, the climate crisis, work, education and the distribution of resources in various projects . “We are showing bold, visionary, and perhaps also disturbing versions of the future,” promised Kunsthaus boss Barbara Steiner at an online press conference on Tuesday.

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The History Museum will deal with the past, the Folklore Museum will present the present, the Kunsthaus will show future designs in the large-scale show, in which “essential questions of the time will be asked”, said Christopher Drexler (ÖVP).

The starting point of the exhibition is the current situation in Styria, emphasized Steiner. Under the impression of the pandemic, “the future now seems more uncertain and uncontrollable than ever”. Instead of a draft for the future, there were “many different ideas”, explained the Kunsthaus director. The exhibition therefore looks into different areas of society. It extends over the entire Kunsthaus including the forecourt and courtyard. 92 artists and 203 project partners are involved. “What art does not offer are specific instructions for action,” emphasized Steiner.

The exhibition also sees itself “as a platform for the exchange of knowledge,” explained curator Katrin Bucher Trantow. On the ground floor, the focus is on education. Various concepts such as “learning with virtual reality” are examined as well as the manual development of skills. The next floor is about work, with a wide variety of aspects being shown. “Work and control” is becoming an important topic alongside handicrafts, but also the increasingly important area of care. There is also an installation by Iris Andraschek in the form of a bathroom. Drawings and words relating to “care” and “being well cared for” can be seen on the tiles. For her work, the artist spoke to nurses, but also to people in need of care, and examined the topic comprehensively.

Another area is “wilderness”, whereby it is about the resources, but also about “the problem of overexploitation”, explained Bucher Trantow. Another section is dedicated to living and residential construction, especially since there are “more and more pioneering projects in Styria that are geared towards the common good,” said the curator. Projects related to structural change in Styria will also be shown, as will the development of wooden houses and wooden skyscrapers.

The Styria Show will open on April 9th as a live stream event, two days beforehand the mobile pavilion will be shown in Vienna. The total cost of the project is just under nine million euros.

(SERVICE -;)

At 5:00 pm “Round Table” with pharmaceutical representatives. Austria wants to cooperate closely with Israel and Denmark.

The federal government wants to have vaccines against the coronavirus produced in Austria in the future. The focus is primarily on second-generation vaccination doses, which are intended to protect against further mutations of the virus. In addition, further treatment options are also to be researched in this country.

Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck confirmed the corresponding KURIER information on Tuesday. Accordingly, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is “too slow” in the approval of vaccines, and supply bottlenecks in the vaccine of the US company Pfizer have also shown problems.

Should vaccine actually be produced in Austria soon, this would also strengthen the location, says Schramböck: “This is not just about producing vaccines in Austria for Austria – but for the whole world.”

Today “Round Table” with pharmaceutical representatives

On Tuesday afternoon, around 5 p.m., the top government will therefore sit down with representatives from leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim, as well as leading scientists and medical professionals. The director of the Medical University of Vienna, Markus Müller, and the geneticist Josef Penninger will also take part.

As the KURIER reported on Monday evening, the government wants to work closely with Denmark and Israel. The topic will be one of the most important agendas of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's scheduled trip to Israel on Thursday.