Körber European Science

The journey begins: the Körber Prize 2025 selection process has started! 🚀   We're thrilled to announce that the selection process for the prestigious Körber Prize 2025 is officially underway. This year, the prize will honor groundbreaking achievements in the Physical Sciences. But what happens next? Here's a behind-the-scenes look:   🔎 Where are we now? Right now, the #KoerberPrize Search Committee, in collaboration with Europe’s leading research institutions, is compiling a longlist of outstanding nominees. From this list, the Search Committee will create a shortlist of the most promising candidates.   💡 What happens next? The shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit their innovative research proposals. These proposals will undergo a thorough evaluation by independent experts. Based on these assessments, the Search Committee will make recommendations. The final decision will be made by the Körber Prize Trustee Committee in April.   Stay tuned as we uncover the next big scientific breakthroughs and celebrate the incredible minds shaping the future! 🌍   Want to learn more about the #KoerberPrize selection process? Check out our website (link in comment).   📸 Alice Whitby / Körber-Stiftung   The photo shows Clare Grey, Körber Prize winner 2021. The British chemist pioneered the optimization of batteries using NMR spectroscopy, making groundbreaking contributions to the field of energy storage.   #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize 

🏆 💫 The journey is entering its final phase: the selection process for the Körber Prize 2025  is moving quickly toward the announcement of this year’s winner!   This year, the Körber Prize honors excellence in the physical sciences—a field that pushes the boundaries of knowledge and innovation.   🔍 Where are we now? All reviews are in! At least two independent reviewers have now evaluated the proposals submitted by the shortlisted candidates. The review criteria focus on scientific excellence, the significance of the research breakthrough and its application potential. 📋 What’s next? The search committee will now select up to three top candidates and recommend them to the Trustee Committee, which will make the final decision. These crucial meetings will take place shortly. ❗Why it matters The Körber Prize recognizes outstanding researchers whose work tackles key challenges and helps shape the future.💫 Stay tuned as we get closer to announcing this year's Körber Prize winner!   The photo shows Cordelia Schmid, winner of the 2023 Körber Prize. The German computer scientist is a pioneer in computer-aided image processing. She developed groundbreaking algorithms that enable AI to quickly recognize objects in large image databases. Her current research focuses on developing AI systems that interpret videos and predict actions, aiming to create robots capable of responding to verbal commands and assisting in healthcare settings. 📸 Marcus Gloger / Körber-Stiftung #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #STEM

🏆🔬 Celebrating Women in Science: How the #KoerberPrize Recognizes Excellence 🔬🏆   Today, on #WomenInScienceDay, we celebrate the brilliant female scientists who are shaping the future of research. While top-level science thrives on diversity, women remain underrepresented in leading positions. The Körber European Science Prize demonstrates that excellence knows no gender.   Recent female laureates include: 🌟 Erin Schuman (2024) – Uncovered how neurons locally produce proteins, transforming our understanding of memory formation. 🌟 Cordelia Schmid (2023) – Developed groundbreaking AI-driven image recognition for robotics. 🌟 Clare Grey (2021) – A pioneer in battery research, optimizing energy storage for a sustainable future.   These scientists are not just leading experts in their fields – they are role models for future generations. But more can be done to ensure women in science receive equal opportunities in funding, visibility, and recognition.   The Körber Prize, awarded annually in either life sciences or physical sciences, honors groundbreaking research with global impact.   💡 Which female scientists have inspired you? Tag them in the comments!   📸 Marcus Gloger / Körber-Stiftung   #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #STEM #Womeninscienceday #womeninscience

🌍 Science thrives on international exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration! The HIAS Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study offers outstanding researchers and artists a unique opportunity to advance their projects in an inspiring environment. Check out the call for applications below! 👇

The journey continues: the Körber Prize 2025 selection process moves forward! 🚀✨ This year, the Körber Prize honors excellence in the physical sciences—a field that pushes the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. 🔍 Where are we now? The shortlist has been finalised! Based on the longlist, the Search Committee has now selected  the most outstanding candidates, showcasing groundbreaking research in the physical sciences across Europe. These candidates are now invited to submit detailed proposals of their work.   📋 What’s next? The submitted proposals are reviewed by independent experts. Based on these reviews, the Search Committee  makes recommendations to the Trustee Committee, which then makes the final decision.   🏆 Why it matters The Körber Prize highlights researchers whose work address key challenges and contribute to shaping the future.   Stay tuned as we take the next step toward celebrating the pioneers transforming science and society! 🌟   Want to learn more about the #KoerberPrize selection process? Check out our website (link in comment).   The photo shows Jiří Friml, winner of the 2010 Körber Prize. The Czech botanist made groundbreaking  contributions to our understanding of plant growth. He identified the hormone auxin as a key regulator of plant development and uncovered how it reaches the right spot at the right time. His discoveries could help  to regulate plant growth and have potential applications in  medicine.   📸credit: Friedrun Reinhold / Körber-Stiftung #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #STEM

🏆2020: Botond Roska won the Körber Prize uncovering the roughly 100 cell types in the retina and understanding their complex signal processing, linking many retinal diseases to genetic defects. Since then, his team at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) has been pioneering gene therapies to tackle these conditions.   💡2025: Just five years later, Roska’s team achieved a major breakthrough: the first gene editing therapy applied to human tissue that could treat Stargardt disease.   What is Stargardt disease and how is it caused? ❗Stargardt disease is the most common form of inherited macular degeneration, affecting 1 in 6,500 people. It often leads to legal blindness. The condition is caused by a gene mutation that disrupts the eye’s recycling system, leading to toxic buildup that damages photoreceptor cells.   How does this new gene editing therapy work and why is it such groundbreaking?   🧬 This innovative gene-editing therapy directly targets the most common mutation causing Stargardt disease. A harmless viral vector delivers a tool to the affected gene, where it precisely corrects the mutation. This permanently changes the DNA-sequence for the lifetime of the cell.   👓 With an editing rate of 80%, researchers corrected four out of five affected photoreceptors, potentially slowing down or even stopping the disease progression. Beyond Stargardt disease, this efficient and groundbreaking therapy could pave the way for treating other retinal conditions caused by similar mutations. 📸credit: Friedrun Reinhold / Körber-Stiftung  #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #StargardtDisease 

🚨 News alert 🚨 Körber Prize winner Botond Roska and his team have published a groundbreaking paper that could help treat blindness. Congratulations! Published in Nature Medicine, this work represents a significant step toward developing new medical approaches for certain types of blindness, building on the pioneering research for which Botond Roska was awarded the Körber European Science Prize in 2020. ✨ It’s inspiring to see how scientific excellence translates into innovative treatments with the potential to change lives. This is a perfect example of how cutting-edge research can create a meaningful impact on society. #KoerberPrize #VisionResearch #GeneEditing #ScienceAndSociety #NatureMedicine

Happy new year!   🎉 Looking back at a successful 2024 – and forward to an exciting 2025! 🎉 A true highlight in 2024 was the first-ever Hamburg Science Summit, where brilliant minds came together to exchange ideas and inspire new thinking. We were also honored to celebrate the remarkable Erin Schuman as our Körber Prize winner 2024, whose groundbreaking work continues to advance the frontiers of science.   What’s up in 2025? 🚀   📌 Hamburg Science Summit: We are excited about the second edition of the Hamburg Science Summit, which will take place on September 18 this year. Several renowned institutions and distinguished speakers have already confirmed their participation. Details will follow soon – stay tuned!   📌 A highlight of the Summit will once again be the presentation of the Körber European Science Prize at Hamburg City Hall. It will take place on September 19 and will once again honor Europe’s scientific excellence – this time in the Physical Sciences. We wish you a happy New Year and look forward to seeing you in 2025!   #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize

🏆What does it take to become a laureate of the Körber European Science Prize? Since 1985, the Körber-Stiftung has honored outstanding researchers with the Körber European Science Prize. Worth € 1 million, it is one of the most prestigious science awards worldwide. What defines a Körber Prize laureate?   ✨ Profound breakthrough – A method, concept, or paradigm shift with significant scientific relevance. 🔬 Active research in Europe – The groundbreaking work must be done in Europe, but the winners do not have to be from Europe originally. 🌍 Global relevance & application – The research has the potential to have a lasting impact on society. 🚀 Innovative projects with a future – The prize aims to advance research that can make significant progress within 3–5 years. 💡 Science communication – Laureates should excel not only in research but also in communicating their work to a broader public. In short: Outstanding science, a clear vision for the future, and the ability to inspire – these are the building blocks of a Körber Prize winner. 👉 Which scientific breakthroughs inspire you? Let’s celebrate excellence and innovation together!   📸 Friedrun Reinhold / Körber-Stiftung   The photo shows Botond Roska, winner of the 2020 Körber Prize. Roska and his team have identified the approximately one hundred different cell types in the retina and studied how they interact. He is now working on turning this fundamental knowledge into benefits for patients and alleviating or curing their diseases. Roska made a breakthrough when he reprogrammed a type of cell in the eye to take over the function of defective light receptor cells. He was able to make blind retinas sensitive to light again. Clinical trials on blind people have already begun.   #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #STEM

The journey continues: the Körber Prize 2025 selection process moves forward! 🚀✨ This year, the Körber Prize honors excellence in the Physical Sciences—a field that pushes the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. 🔍 Where are we now? Nominations are in! Thanks to the members of our Search Committee and nominations by Europe’s leading scientific institutions, we now have a longlist of outstanding candidates, showcasing groundbreaking research in the Physical Sciences across Europe. 📋 What’s next? The Search Committee will vote to create a shortlist of up to eight candidates. These candidates will then be invited to submit detailed proposals of their work, which will be reviewed by independent experts and later by the Search Committee.   🏆 Why it matters The Körber Prize highlights researchers whose work address key challenges and contribute to shaping the future.   Stay tuned as we take the next step toward celebrating the pioneers transforming science and society! 🌟 Want to learn more about the #KoerberPrize selection process? Check out our website (link in comment).   📸 Friedrun Reinhold  / Körber-Stiftung   The photo shows Stefan Hell, winner of the 2011 Körber Prize. The German physicist revolutionised optical microscopy by developing the STED microscope, breaking Abbe's 1873 resolution limit and enabling imaging at resolutions below 15 nanometres, opening up new perspectives in physics, life sciences and biology.   #GesellschaftBesserMachen #Science #EuropeanScience #KoerberPrize #STEM