Johan Skytte Medal

Johan Skytte Medal 2023

Margit Sutrop, Member of the Riigikogu, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Tartu

Margit Sutrop has contributed significantly to developing the University of Tartu and advancing higher education in Estonia. She has determinedly and effectively stood up for the funding of Estonian higher education and the quality of research and education in Estonia.

Since 2021, Margit Sutrop has been a member of the Riigikogu, the Estonian parliament. She has been a member of the Riigikogu’s Cultural Affairs Committee and the European Union Affairs Committee. She has founded and chaired the Higher Education Support Group of the Riigikogu. At her initiative, the Cultural Affairs Committee organised a debate on the role, quality and funding of higher education in the Riigikogu.

The Centre for Ethics, which Margit established at the University of Tartu, has developed into a high-level, publicly recognised competence centre leading the public debate on practical ethics in general and higher education, museums, medical institutions, in the field of defence and elsewhere.

Thanks to Margit, the issues of values education for children and young people and values in general have been raised in Estonian educational institutions and society at large. Only in the last decade, informed discussion about values emerged, boosted by the national values programme developed under her leadership. Also, led by Margit Sutrop and the Estonian Research Council, the Estonian Code of Conduct for Research Integrity was established as a joint agreement of many research institutions to uphold the values and standards of Estonian science.

With her tremendous energy and innovative vision, Margit is, on the one hand, a great role model, but at the same time, an always friendly and warm-hearted colleague who knows how to inspire others and believes in the professionalism of the people around her.