(Vienna, 07 May 2026) Markus Müller, Rector of the Medical University of Vienna, has been awarded the Israel Friendship Award 2026. Presented by the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, the award honours individuals and representatives of civil society who have made a special contribution to strengthening and deepening relations between Israel and Austria.
Markus Müller receives the award for his commitment at the intersection of science, international cooperation and historical responsibility. As Rector of the Medical University of Vienna, he advocates for forward-looking research collaborations with Israel, including with Tel Aviv University, on whose Board of Governors he serves.
At the same time, his work represents a clear anchoring of the culture of remembrance in everyday university life. With the annual commemoration at the ‘Memorial against Forgetting’, MedUni Vienna sends a visible signal in support of Holocaust remembrance and against anti-Semitism.
The Israel Friendship Award was established in 2022 and will be presented for the fifth time in 2026. According to the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, the award honours individuals who, in challenging times, contribute to the relationship between Israel and Austria with clarity and conviction.
Alongside Markus Müller, this year’s awards go to Josef Pröll and Monika Polzin. The prizes were presented during a reception marking the 78th Israeli Independence Day.