The Awardees of the Prize for Federalism and Regional Research 2025: Dr. David Hirner und Tobias Huber, LL.M.

The 2025 Prize for Federalism and Regional Research, awarded by the Presidents of the State Parliaments of the Austrian federal states and South Tyrol as well as the Institute for Federalism, goes to David Hirner from the University of Graz and Tobias Huber from the Vienna University of Economics and Business. The awardees prevailed over other candidates in a highly competitive field.

David Hirner
Dr. David Hirner completed his diploma and doctoral studies in law at the University of Graz. He received his doctorate in 2024, focusing in his dissertation on a constitutional comparison between the Canadian Senate and the Austrian Federal Council. His work was honored with the 2025 Prize for Federalism and Regional Research. Since September 2024, Dr. David Hirner has been Deputy Head of Department VI/1 – Ausgleichsfonds für Familienbeihilfen, Familienbeihilfe, Mehrkindzuschlag und Familienbesteuerung – in the Federal Chancellery.

A detailed summary of the award-winning work is available on the Federalism Blog at the following link: Zweite Kammern im Bundesstaat
by David Hirner, 16.07.2025

Tobias Huber
Tobias Huber, LL.M. (WU), completed his bachelor's and master's studies in business law at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He completed his master's degree in business law in 2025 and examined the transfer of responsibilities within the state government in his master's thesis. His work was honored with the 2025 Prize for Federalism and Regional Research. Since March 2025, Tobias Huber, LL.M. (WU), has been a university assistant (prae doc) at the Institute for Austrian and European Public Law at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

A detailed summary of the award-winning work is available on the Federalism Blog at the following link: Die Zuständigkeitsübertragung in der Landesregierung
by Tobias Huber, 07.07.2025 Jury Previous Awardees