Dr. Marija Geroldinger-Simić (head of the Autoimmune Center at the Ordensklinikum Linz), and Prof. Dr. Jakob Völkl (head of the Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology at the Johannes Kepler University Linz Faculty of Medicine) were presented with the distinguished award in recognition of their scientific collaboration and an ensuing joint research project designed to explore the serum calcification tendency in systemic scleroderma.

Systemic scleroderma is a rare and chronic rheumatic connective tissue disease in which the skin, joints and internal organs can thicken and scar. Univ. Prof. Dr. Jakob Völkl explained: "There is proof of functional changes in scleroderma that could facilitate calcification. The prize money endowed with the award will allow us to explore these processes in more detail. In the long run, this information could become the basis for new, therapeutic approaches."