The management of WIFO paid tribute to Gerhard Schwarz as a colleague who was outstanding in both human and professional terms: "His passionate commitment went far beyond the design and implementation of surveys. As a works council member, he put all his energy into promoting codetermination at WIFO and always had an open ear for the concerns of his colleagues. His tireless efforts as part of the 'Platform Registerforschung' to improve research conditions in Austria will also remain unforgotten."
Until the end, he fought with all his strength against his serious illness and has now left us much too early. "There is deep consternation at the institute. On behalf of the entire staff, we express our deepest sympathy and condolences to his loved ones", said the WIFO management.
"Gerhard was as much a central supporter of the concerns of the scientific community as he was a friend to us. 'Platform Registerforschung' would be a different organisation if he had not played a key role in shaping and guiding it as a strategic mastermind. The gap he leaves behind as a person cannot be filled. Gerhard will always be missed. As a platform, we can only try to continue our work for better data access for science in his spirit", says 'Platform Registerforschung', which is also supported by WIFO.
The full obituary of the initiative is available here.
