Olga Ceran receives first prize in the DAAD Fundamental Academic Values Award 2026
Dr. Olga Ceran has been awarded first prize in the Fundamental Academic Values Award 2026 by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The award recognises her research on academic freedom, democracy and the rule of law in the European Union, including work conducted at Leiden University's Europa Institute.
About the research
Olga's awarded research examines the relationship between academic freedom, democracy and the rule of law in EU law. It explores how existing EU mechanisms for protecting the rule of law can contribute to safeguarding academic freedom.
This research builds on her work at Leiden University within the NWO-funded project The EU Fundamental Right to ‘Freedom of the Arts and Sciences’: Exploring the Limits on the Commercialisation of Academia (AFITE), led by Dr. Vasiliki Kosta.
Olga is currently a postdoctoral researcher at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles and remains affiliated with Leiden University's Europa Institute as a guest researcher.
About the DAAD Fundamental Academic Values Award
The Fundamental Academic Values Award is presented by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to recognise early-career researchers whose work contributes to understanding and protecting fundamental academic values in the European Higher Education Area.
More information about the award and this year's recipients can be found on the DAAD website.