Tallinn University researchers among the nominees for the 2026 National Research Awards
The National Research Awards Committee has announced the nominees for the 2026 National Research Awards, among whom are ten researchers affiliated with Tallinn University. Tallinn University is represented in both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the annual awards across several fields.
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Among the nominees for the Lifetime Achievement Award for long-term outstanding research and development (EUR 65,000) is Mihhail Lotman, semiotician and Professor Emeritus at Tallinn University.
Tallinn University researchers are also represented among the nominees for the annual awards, which recognise outstanding research works or cycles of work published between 2022 and 2025, across multiple disciplines.
In the natural sciences, the nominees include a research group featuring Tallinn University researchers Hannes Tõnisson and Tiit Vaasma, whose work examines coastal development from post-glacial land uplift to the impacts of contemporary climate change.
In the social sciences, nominees from Tallinn University include Triin Lauri, Professor of Comparative Public Policy, whose research focuses on educational inequality, education markets, and policymaking, as well as Karmen Toros, Professor of Social Work, whose work centres on the rights and well-being of vulnerable children.
In the field of humanities and the arts, nominees include Eneken Laanes, Professor of Comparative Literature, Emilia Diana Popa, Visiting Researcher, and Aigi Heero, Associate Professor of German Language and Didactics, who are participating in the international research project Translating Memory: Eastern Europe’s Past on the Global Stage. Additional nominees include Tiiu Ernits, Visiting Lecturer and member of the collective behind Estonian Music History 1, and Anastassia Zabrodskaja, Professor of Intercultural Communication, whose research focuses on multilingualism, identity, and intercultural communication in a globalised society.
The National Research Awards are conferred by the Government of the Republic of Estonia on the proposal of the Minister of Education and Research, based on recommendations from the National Research Awards Committee. The awards will be presented at a ceremonial event on 18 February at the Estonian Representation Building. This year marks the 36th time the National Research Awards are being presented.