International Fiscal Association (IFA) - Wolfgang Gassner Science Award der International Fiscal Association

Wolfgang Gassner Science Award

The prize awards a total of up to 20,000 EUR across three categories: one or more main prizes for outstanding work, one or more encouragement prizes for promising contributions, and several travel grants to attend the annual IFA World Congress (2026 in Melbourne, Australia). It is awarded once a year by the Austrian Section of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), a global association dedicated to research into international tax law. The travel grants are funded by sponsors, including major accountancy and law firms.

Who can apply

• Type of work (main and support prizes): You have written a doctoral thesis or a habilitation thesis (the thesis required to qualify for a teaching post at a university).
• Topic: Your work focuses on international tax law, examined from a legal, comparative law or tax policy perspective.
• Where you submitted it: You submitted your work to an Austrian university.
• Travel grants: You have demonstrated a genuine interest in international tax law through published articles or seminar papers, or by choosing a relevant topic for your undergraduate dissertation, Master’s thesis or PhD thesis. Applicants who have also applied for the main IFA poster programme will be given priority.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. What matters is your connection to an Austrian higher education institution, not your passport.

How to apply

Please email your application to the IFA Austria office by 15 February 2026. A jury comprising professors of tax law will decide on the award of the main prize and the sponsorship prizes. The Austrian IFA Executive Board will decide on the travel grants.

How realistic are your chances?

This award has very strict eligibility criteria: your work must be a doctoral thesis or habilitation thesis on international tax law submitted to an Austrian university, meaning that the pool of eligible candidates is small. If you clearly fit this profile, you have a genuine chance of success, even though the main prizes are awarded for outstanding, completed research projects assessed by a panel of experts. The travel grants have less stringent entry requirements and are a good starting point for early-career researchers who have already published or have a relevant doctoral thesis topic.