From the left to right: Krisztina Kis-Katos (Chairwoman of the Standing Field Committee of Development Economics of the German Economic Association), Vera Molitor (KfW), Manuela Fritz (first prize), Tobias Korn (second prize), Paulina Hauser (third prize). Photo: KfW

Work with the potential to provide new impetus for development cooperation: Dr Manuela Fritz has once again been honoured for her doctorate at the University of Passau. She has received the KfW Development Bank's award for practically relevant development research, which is endowed with 5000 euros. The award ceremony took place at the "German Development Economics" conference in Hanover  end of May.

In her doctoral thesis, Fritz focused on the prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases in Southeast Asia and the consequences of climate change for patients suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. In her work, the former doctoral student at the University of Passau demonstrates that climate change represents an additional burden for chronically ill patients. Based on predictions of the rise in temperature in the coming years, she modelled the economic costs that could be incurred by countries. She also studied possibilities for preventive measures: She explored, for example, to what extent social media campaigns can help to identify  patients at-risk.

New impetus for development cooperation

Fritz completed her doctorate as part of the EU Horizon project SUNI-SEA. This was a double doctorate, which she completed from 2019 to 2023 at the University of Passau under the supervision of Professor Michael Grimm and at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) under the supervision of Professor Robert Lensink.

The KfW Development Bank's prize for practice-oriented development research honours young researchers whose doctoral thesis combine scientific excellence and practical relevance for development policy. The prize is intended to promote the dialogue between science and practice. It is thematically open and is awarded for work from the entire field of social science development research. All work that contributes to a better understanding of sustainable development, offers new solutions to the problems and challenges in developing countries and thus has the potential to provide new impetus for development cooperation is welcome.

Third award for doctorate

"Chronic diseases are already a major threat to public health in Southeast Asia, and climate change will make it worse," explains Professor Grimm from the University of Passau. "Manuela Fritz's work provides ideas for cost-efficient and scalable solutions," says the development economist, underlying the relevance of  the importance of the work. "I am very delighted to have received a further award," says Dr Manuela Fritz, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Munich. "The work has laid the foundation for my academic career." She is continuing her research on the health economic consequences of climate change, now focusing on India.

The KfW Promotion Award is the third prize Fritz has received for her work. She was previously honoured with the Kulturpreis Bayern from Bayernwerk AG and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, as well as the Helmut Schmalen Prize from the School of Business, Economics and Information Systems at the University of Passau. Two essays of her thesis have already been published in prestigious health economics journals following a peer review. A third one is close to publication.

To the publications of Dr Manuela Fritz