These plants have potential: physalis, thorn apple and Withania somnifera, or so-called winter cherry, belong to the nightshade family. The three hold a special position within this family: they produce steroids called withanolides, which have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries. A research team led by Prof. Dr. Jakob Franke of Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) and Prof. Dr. Boas Pucker of the University of Bonn has now managed to decode how the steroids form in these plants. The findings could be used to develop new medications – for example, to treat cancer. The project, which runs until 2026, has received approximately 511,000 euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The University Council has three new members, as at today’s meeting Professor Hermann Parzinger, Dr. Nora Kalbarczyk and Dr. Hubertus Hille were inducted into office by Regierungsrätin Elena Ruhnke representing the Ministry of Culture and Science of NRW, who handed over their certificates of appointment by the University of Bonn.

Beamline for Schools (BL4S) is a physics competition that was initiated by CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, and is open to secondary school pupils from all around the world. Participants are invited to submit a proposal for a physics experiment to be undertaken at the beamline of a particle accelerator, either at CERN or at one of the partner institutes: DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron in Hamburg, Germany) and ELSA (Elektronen-Stretcher-Anlage of the University of Bonn, Germany). In 2025, a record number of five winning teams have been chosen, based on both the scientific merit of their proposals and the communication merit of their submission video.

The University of Bonn has awarded teaching prizes to 14 teaching staff in recognition of their outstanding work. The prize recipients were chosen by students themselves. Professor Klaus Sandmann, Vice Rector for Teaching, Learning and University Development presented the prize certificates at a ceremony on the Hofgarten lawn in Bonn as part of the Universitätsfest attended by over 7,000 people.

The University of Bonn held a lavish party to mark the 20th anniversary of its Universitätsfest, an occasion steeped in tradition. Some 2,000 graduates flooded onto the Hofgarten lawn together with over 5,000 of their friends and family—a new record. It was a truly epic day, one that began with a graduation ceremony and ended with a stirring anniversary party given the tagline “Forever Uni Bonn.”

Research is not an end in itself. Ultimately, it must have an impact on society, politics, culture or the economy for its purpose to fully unfold. And that is what the UGB Transfer Prize created by Universitätsgesellschaft Bonn (UGB) is all about. The 10,000-euro Prize is awarded in recognition of projects through which University of Bonn staff and students effectively transfer knowledge in innovative yet practical ways so as to visibly benefit society at large.