Landshut University of Applied Sciences has honoured Ioana Păcurar with the prestigious DAAD Prize 2025. The prize, worth €1,000, recognises her exceptional academic achievements and her impressive commitment to social and intercultural projects.
The selection was made by a committee consisting of university management and the International Office, which decided on the basis of clearly defined criteria such as academic success and social commitment. The recommendation of a university lecturer was also taken into account.
Academic and professional career
Ioana Păcurar comes from Romania, where she has already been involved in a wide range of social activities. After completing a bachelor's degree in landscape design at the Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară in Cluj-Napoca (2013), she completed further training as a kindergarten teacher in 2020. Since the 2023/24 winter semester, she has been studying social work in child and youth welfare at Landshut University of Applied Sciences in order to deepen her practical experience with academic knowledge.
Commitment in Germany and internationally
In addition to her studies, Păcurar is very active in voluntary work:
At the DOM neighbourhood centre in Landshut, she organises creative activities for children and young people with a migrant background – from crafts and painting to baking and gardening. At Startklar Soziale Arbeit Niederbayern, she supports a residential group for young children on a weekly basis. She has also done voluntary work in Romania and is now applying this experience to her work in Germany.
Her commitment extends beyond national borders: she is planning a stay in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in autumn 2025 to care for children with burns. She also wants to do an internship in Spain during her studies and is voluntarily taking additional Spanish courses for this purpose.
Recognition by the university
In a formal ceremony, the university management honoured Păcurar as a personality who combines academic excellence with social responsibility. The selection committee unanimously voted in favour of her award.
With the DAAD Prize 2025, Landshut University of Applied Sciences is sending a strong signal about the importance of intercultural engagement and social responsibility in the academic environment.
Photo: Landshut University of Applied Sciences
(Free for use if source is acknowledged)
Caption: Prize winner Ioana Păcurar (4th from left), Prof. Dr. Marcus Jautze, Vice President for Transfer and International Affairs (2nd from left), Prof. Dr. Markus Kühnel, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work (1st from left), Prof. Dr. Eva Wunderer, Faculty of Social Work (3rd from left), Andrea Kilb, ERASMUS Coordinator of the International Office (5th from left)
