Proposed by Rector Michael Hoch, the UGB Transfer Prize was created this year as a vehicle for the Universitätsgesellschaft and the University of Bonn to honor outstanding transfer projects that create visibility for research, address specific societal issues and translate scientific findings into practical applications. The total Transfer Prize money of 10,000 euros was divided among three winning projects chosen by a judges panel chaired by Denise Fischer-Kreer, Professor of Entrepreneurial Behaviour at the University of Bonn. The judges were prominent individuals in higher education, business, culture and civil society, including Dr. Jörg Haas (Partner and CEO of HW Partners AG), Stefan Hagen (President of the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce), Alma Hannig (Collection Coordinator and Head of the University Museum/P26, University of Bonn), Stephan Huthmacher (Founder and Supervisory Board member of Comma Soft AG, Bonn), Dr. Martina Krechel-Engert (Executive Management of the Rectorate) and Professor Annette Scheersoi (Vice Rector for Sustainability).
Professor Fischer-Kreer presented the award certificates for the three winning transfer projects: First prize, with a purse of 5,000 euros, went to a project titled “Sweethoven Biotech”, in which university research was leveraged to develop prebiotic sugar alternatives. Dr. Marcel Hövels and Dr. André Neff of the University of Bonn Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology (IFMB) accepted the prize. The project is exemplary of how biotech research can lead to innovative nutrition and healthcare solutions.
Second prize, with a purse of 3,000 euros, went to a start-up called Midel Photonics. The Midel Photonics team develops innovative laser beam shaping methods for sophisticated industrial applications. Researchers Dr. David Dung, Dr. Christian Wahl, Dr. Christopher Grossert and Frederik Wolf—the company founders—accepted the prize. Third place with a purse of 2,000 euros went to the DynamoBot project, which is about developing AI-driven solutions for precision weed management and comprehensive farmland monitoring. The award was accepted by Dr. Alireza Ahmadi, founder and general manager of DynamoBot GmbH.
2025 UGB Prizes awarded for outstanding dissertations and student activism
The newly created Transfer Prize is flanked by prizes awarded by Universitätsgesellschaft Bonn for dissertations of excellence and for student activism. Prize certificates were presented by Professor Ute C. Vothknecht at the Winter Soirée award ceremony. The UGB Prize with the largest purse of 10,000 euros is awarded for dissertations of exceptionally great scientific importance. This year’s winner was Dr. Kristof Keidel, who earned the Prize for his Psychology dissertation titled “Impulsive decision-making: "Psychometric, experimental and neuroimaging approaches”. His doctoral thesis supervisor was Professor Ulrich Ettinger, who is Head of the Department of General and Experimental Clinical Psychology.
The Bonn Medicine Prize, endowed by the Prof. Dr. Rolf and Dr. Gisela Dederich Foundation (5,000 euro), was awarded to Dr. Jil D. Stegmann for her doctoral thesis “Identifying disease variants in Celsr3 and characterization of the embryonic function of Celsr3 in zebrafish”. Her dissertation supervisor was Professor Heiko Reutter, Head of the Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care in Erlangen.
The Geheimrat Dr. Edmund ter Meer Prize, with a purse of 2,000 euros, is awarded for exceptional doctoral theses in the field of Chemistry. Dr. Sebastian Höthker was the Prize recipient for his doctoral thesis titled “Stereoconvergent, intramolecular transfer reactions at β-titanoxy radicals”. His dissertation supervisor was Professor Andreas Gansäuer of the Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Initiative Prize for student activism
The UGB Initiative Prize is presented in recognition of valuable student activism initiatives at the University of Bonn. This year’s winner was the femARTicola initiative conducted at the Institute of Art History, which is aimed at subverting the dominance of patriarchal narratives in the field of Art History by honoring the work of female artists who have been marginalized and/or forgotten.
The selection committee for the UGB awards was chaired by Professor Max P. Baur. The other committee members were: Sean Bonkowski (chairperson, General Students’ Committee), Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer-Kreer (Professor of Entrepreneurial Behaviour), Provost Holger Gottschalk, Professor Svenja Hippel (Chair of Law and Economics), Dr. Andrea Niehaus (Director of Deutsches Museum Bonn), Professor Christian Strasbourg (Director of Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I at University Hospital Bonn) and Prof. Dr. Ute C. Vothknecht (Professor of Plant Cell Biology).
Contact:
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E-Mail: ugb@uni-bonn.de
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