2015 Madame de Staël Prize

Dame Helen Wallace of the British Academy receives the 2015 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values

In honour of her extensive and highly respected scholarly work on European integration and political studies, Dame Helen Wallace, Foreign Secretary at the British Academy, became the second scholar to be awarded the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, a prize initiated by ALLEA in 2014.

Helen Wallace

Dame Helen Wallace is a renowned British scholar from the field of the humanities and social sciences. Her research has focused on European politics in nearly every context and region, establishing her reputation as an authority in the field. Her seminal work Policy-Making in the European Union is currently entering its seventh printing. Her advice and consultation is sought after at the highest levels of European policy making.

Professor Wallace’s work dissects the process of European integration and the UK’s historical role in it. She wrote her PhD on the UK’s accession negotiations with the then European Communities, and she has followed at close hand the course of the UK’s subsequent relationships with the European Union and with other European countries. Across the years, Dame Helen has combined academic teaching and research with public engagement, having worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Civil Service College, where she directed a suite of training courses to develop European expertise in the UK public service. She has also served on several policy advisory groups for the EU institutions and engaged in the debate in the UK on European affairs.

In addition, Professor Wallace served as Chair of the Linguistics and Philology Section at the British Academy from 2008-2011, and from 2011-2015 she was appointed as Foreign Secretary. Currently, she serves as Europe Liaison Chair. Professor Wallace has also previously served as Professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Award Ceremony

The second award ceremony of the All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values took place at the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon on 23 April 2015, in the context of the ALLEA General Assembly. The Prize was handed over to Professor Wallace by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas.

On his laudatory speech, Commissioner Moedas asserted that:

 “For the European Union to best serve its citizens, we need continuous debate on research, science and innovation matters involving all levels of society. Academic leaders, like Dame Helen, provide much of the momentum and expertise for such discussions, helping us all to better understand the challenges ahead and how we can equip ourselves to build a prosperous future.”

Professor Günter Stock, ALLEA President and chairman of the prize jury, stated that “Dame Helen Wallace has provided us with an invaluable resource in her work. Her personal as well as her scholarly integrity is unwavering and her commitment to European cooperation is undisputed.”