Press Service

We help the media and University members achieve a good, productive exchange of information.

Latest News

Nightshade plants as a basis for medications

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).

Three new members appointed to the University Council

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.

Students from Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Türkiye and the USA win the 12th edition of Beamline for Schools

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.

Awards for Excellence in Teaching

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.

Providing Information on Expertise

Looking for experts to interview? Who is helping with the research? What is new in science? The University of Bonn is a research university with a strong international focus. Its research and teaching cover the entire range of scientific disciplines, from Anthropology of the Americas to Zoology. That means expertise is available in (almost) all topic areas.

We can help you access a pool of around 6,500 experts in the areas of research, teaching, technology and administration. We help the media by providing contacts in the University that are appropriate for their needs.

We also provide advice to University members on how to contact the media, and help them if the media have already contacted them and they have questions. We help them, for example, with basic knowledge and tips for interviews and TV appearances.

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Press Releases

We send press releases to the media every day, and even more often at times. The topics range from the latest research results all the way to the latest news on studies, teaching and University policy.

We invite all media professionals to subscribe to our press releases, so they will be in pool position when we disseminate up-to-date, exclusive and relevant information by email.

You can make your own decision on which topic areas to subscribe to. Register here in our free press distribution list.

Current news

Press releases 2016-2019

The University in the Media

What is the media reporting about the University of Bonn? We provide a daily up-to-date summary, Monday to Friday.

The following links provide an overview.

Please note: Although this list is updated regularly, it could happen that the links below no longer function, as Internet addresses often change quickly.

Subscribe to the “Online Press Review” mailing list to receive online press reviews by email each working day.

A list of the latest press reviews is available here.

Image Database

The images representing science are as diverse as science itself. We have collected several thousand motifs in our image database.

Contact us if you need science or research photos for your editorial work. Our image pool is also naturally available to all University members for official purposes.

Need New Photos or Videos?

Would you like to take your own photos or videos in University of Bonn premises, or on the grounds of the University? Then contact us to obtain a photo or film permit. The person to contact is indicated below in the Contact section.

The University also has its own YouTube channel: uni-bonn.tv. Take a look!