This year’s Upper Austrian Achievement Awards (OÖ. Leistungspreis 2017), opens an external URL in a new window ceremony took place at the headquarters of voestalpine, opens an external URL in a new windowin Linz under the motto: "Stärken stärken reloaded". In the category of science and academia (up to age 40) Deputy Governor Michael Strugl awarded the highest price to Prof. Dr. Erik G. Hansen. Prof. Hansen is head of the Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD) at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU). IQD holds courses and conducts research in the areas sustainability-oriented innovation, integrated quality management (systems) and design for circularity. The IQD takes a holistic perspective on quality, considering a company’s economic, ecological and social aspects into account. Prof. Hansen has led many research projects and has authored numerous journal articles.