Banat and its capital, Timisoara, have always been landmarks of innovation, cradles of culture and enlightened minds that have created values that have transcended the borders of the land, some of which are still being used by people from all over the world. We have a portfolio with over 1,000 awards from Timisoara, Banat, national and international, and the creativity of the people here has not stopped in the past centuries, today it is difficult for us to keep up with the portfolio of premieres and their excellence.
The Banat Excellence Gala was born out of the desire to show the work of Banat's elites. Taking the model of the Nobel Prizes, the event is now in its seventh edition, aiming to promote the elites of Timisoara, Banat, and the western region while supporting the culture of excellence. The organizers of the Banat Excellence Gala are the Council for Excellence of Timisoara, bringing together the Romanian Academy, Timisoara branch, and the four prestigious universities in Timisoara (Politehnica University Timisoara, West University, University of Medicine and Pharmacy and University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine), in partnership with the Grand National Lodge of Romania and the Timisensis Association. On December 19, 2020, the Gala of Excellence Banat 2020 online event took place, related to the most important historical moment of today's Timisoara, the Revolution from December 1989, which brought freedom, light, and democratic and western values in Romania.
Every year, the Banat Excellence Gala awards 10 prizes to 10 recognized and appreciated personalities of Banat and the western area: the Traian Lalescu Prize - for mathematics, informatics, and natural sciences; Traian Vuia Award - for engineering sciences; Petru Dragan Award - for biological and biomedical sciences; Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti Award - for agronomic sciences and veterinary medicine; Romanian Academy Award; Cornel Olariu Award - for social sciences, economics and entrepreneurship; Eugen Todoran Award - for humanities and arts; Coriolan Brediceanu Award - for outstanding performances in education; The Solidarity Gheorghe Ciobanu Award - for social responsibility; Eftimie Murgu Award - for promoting Timisoara and Banat.
The selection of candidates is made within 10 independent commissions, made up mostly of personalities from the academic and university world, but also from personalities of the civil, diplomatic, or cultural society of Timişoara or the region. Each commission consists of five members and is coordinated by the head of the commission.
The Excellence Awards are granted by the Timişoara Council for Excellence with the support of companies and organizations declared Ambassadors of Excellence, which provided the financial and organizational support of the event. 40 companies and organizations supported the project, as Ambassadors and Supporters of Excellence, at platinum, gold, or silver level.
Among the winners of the 2020 edition of the Banat Excellence Gala are two professors from Politehnica University Timișoara: