On 3 March 2021 long-time employee and director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Prof. PhDr. Tibor Pichler, CSc., was awarded the Medal of the SAS for the Support of Science. Professor Tibor Pichler worked at the Institute of Philosophy of the SAS from 1972 in the position of an independent academic employee in the Department of History of Slovak Philosophical and Political Thinking and in 1994 took on the position of Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the SAS. During his time in the position, he intensively promoted the development of scientific cooperation of tS he Institute of Philosophy with representatives of domestic universities and scientific institutes abroad. In the years 1994 – 1996 he also worked as the Chair of the Slovak Philosophical Association. In the course of his long years of academic activity he devoted himself to research on the modernization of philosophical and political conceptions in Central Europe region with a focus on the issue of national ideologies. In addition to participation in domestic and foreign academic projects, he was also the author of more than 100 scientific and expert studies and publications in prestigious academic journals both at home and abroad.

The result of recognizing the contribution of the academic work of prof. PhDr. Tibor Pichler, CSc., in the scope of research on the history of Slovak philosophy and political thought was his being awarded the silver Ľudovít Štúr Plaque For Merit in the Social Sciences (SAS, 1999) and the Minister of Education of the Slovak Republic Award in 2009 for his participation in the research team of the Centre of Excellence SAS – Collective Identity.

The Medal of the SAS for the Support of Science, which is awarded to outstanding scientists for a significant contribution to science, research and culture in Slovakia, is the second highest award of the SAS.