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Dr. Isabel Leicht
Bavarian High-Tech Awards Ceremony: “A Touch of Stockholm in Munich”
Ideas that make our lives a little better every day took center stage at the Bavarian High-Tech Awards ceremony on July 23 at the Munich Residenz. Around 700 guests from the worlds of science and research, politics, and society—including Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder—celebrated pioneers and visionaries in science. The entertaining evening, hosted by Carolin Matzko, demonstrated how relevant to everyday life and beneficial to us all scientific research can be.
Whether it’s the optimal gripping position for packages in logistics, antibacterial-coated implants, quantum software in design automation, or soft robots that can unfold inside the body for medical purposes: With their forward-looking innovations, leading scientists impressed the audience just as much as promising young talents. They were honored with the Bavarian High-Tech Awards in three categories by the Bavarian State Government in collaboration with the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW). As the host, Minister of Science Markus Blume spoke of a “touch of Stockholm in Munich”: “With the High-Tech Awards, we are highlighting visionary researchers. There is no comparable award, even internationally, that honors outstanding achievements in technology and engineering—not even the Nobel Prize takes these disciplines into account!”
Germany’s Most Highly Endowed Technology Prize
The Bavarian Minister-President’s High-Tech Prize was awarded to Prof. Daniela Rus, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, for her groundbreaking contributions to robotics and autonomous systems engineering. The High-Tech Award of the Bavarian Minister-President is the most highly endowed award for technology and engineering in Germany. This joint award from the Bavarian State Government and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities is endowed with 300,000 euros provided by the Ulrich L. Rohde Foundation.
Read the full statement of the jury here
In his tribute to the scientist, Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder emphasized: “Science and research are a priority in Bavaria. Professor Daniela Rus from MIT in Massachusetts is a world-renowned authority in robotics and AI. From the operating table to the highway to the deep sea—her innovations help make life on Earth longer and better. This pioneering spirit fits perfectly with the ‘Bavarian Way of Life’. High-tech and excellence have always been part of our DNA—and we are also active globally in the field of robotics.”
He continued: “In the face of international competition, innovation is our greatest opportunity for prosperity – now and in the future. That is why we in Bavaria are committed to academic freedom. We are investing heavily in the High-tech Agenda while simultaneously expanding our international network. Bavaria has the most supercomputers; we are home to major startups; and with the Technical University of Munich and LMU, the two best universities in the EU are located in Bavaria. The future is at home here. The High-Tech Prize recognizes this achievement and, with a prize of 300,000 euros, is Germany’s most highly endowed technology award. Congratulations to all the winners—you are brilliant role models who make a real difference. Please keep up the great work!”
Minister of Science Markus Blume also offered his congratulations: “Congratulations to Daniela Rus. Her soft robots and origami robots are visionary and expand the scope of application for autonomous systems in sensitive ecosystems. A robot that can be swallowed and unfolds in the stomach for a medical procedure—that’s the medicine of tomorrow! Her research helps make people’s lives better and longer. I’m very pleased that she embodies the connection between Boston and Bavaria, between MIT and TUM—and that she enjoys coming back to Bavaria time and again, as she emphasized on stage.”
“With this award, the Academy emphasizes the central role of research in both the Bavarian and international contexts. It provides a targeted stimulus which will incentivize further research in areas of major scientific and societal significance,” stated Academy President Prof. Dr. Markus Schwaiger. “It gives me particular pleasure that we are honoring Daniela Rus this year. Through her scientific excellence, innovative spirit, and the outstanding societal relevance of her work, she perfectly embodies the spirit of the prize. We wish her the warmest congratulations!”
“Academy Award” Moment at the Munich Residenz
The recipient of the Young Scientist Award for visionary research with innovation potential—which comes with a prize of 30,000 euros—was not announced until the evening of the awards ceremony by Minister of Science Markus Blume. This created a true “Academy Award” moment in the Herkulessaal: Lukas Burgholzer from the Technical University of Munich and the Munich Quantum Software Company was honored for his research in the field of quantum sciences. He is applying established techniques from classical electronic design automation (EDA) to the quantum world. The goal of his work is to create scalable, efficient, and trustworthy software that covers the entire “stack”—that is, the structure of all components—from the algorithm to the physical machine.
“And the winner is: Lukas Burgholzer from TUM. By developing open-source software for quantum computers, he is pursuing an inspiring vision: to make quantum computing so accessible that the technology operates in the background, yet its potential reaches everyone and benefits all.“ This makes him a perfect fit for Bavaria and the Munich Quantum Valley: the hottest quantum project in the country,” said Minister of Science Markus Blume in his congratulatory remarks. “For us in Bavaria, one thing is clear: progress requires support—and people like Lukas Burgholzer and the two nominees, Anna Maria Oberländer and Saskia Schimmel. They all want to make a difference with their research!”
Also nominated were Anna Maria Oberländer from the University of Bayreuth and the FIM Research Institute for Information Management (part of the Fraunhofer FIT) for their interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work toward understanding and shaping the digital transformation of established organizations, as well as Saskia Schimmel from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, who ranks among the most distinguished early-career researchers in the field of nitridesemiconductors in Germany.
Promising Talents on Stage
Five young engineers from universities of applied sciences and technical universities in Coburg, Würzburg-Schweinfurt, and Nuremberg, as well as from the universities in Würzburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg, also received the Graduate Award from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. The award is presented to engineering graduates from Bavarian colleges and universities and recognizes outstanding bachelor’s or doctoral degrees. Each award is endowed with 2,000 euros.