Prizes and Awards

Each year, our scientists are honored with a number of prestigious prizes, awards, and medals for their achievements in a variety of scientific disciplines. See a selection here.

Prizes and Awards

  • German Cancer Research Center

    Stefan Pfister honored with Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize

    The University Children's Hospital Zurich and the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation have awarded the Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize to Stefan Pfister, Director of the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Head of Department at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), professor at the Heidelberg Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, and pediatric oncologist at…
  • Helmholtz Munich

    Timo Müller Receives the ADA 2026 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award

    The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has announced the recipients of this year's National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards. Among this year’s awardees is Prof. Timo Müller, Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) at Helmholtz Munich and Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). He will receive the 2026 Outstanding Scientific…
  • German Cancer Research Center

    Highly endowed research award for DKFZ scientist

    Daniel Kirschenbaum from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) is developing new methods to find out exactly how immune cells are suppressed by malignant brain tumors. He is being supported in this by the EACR-Mark Foundation and the Pezcoller Foundation with the Rising Star Award, which is endowed with 100,000 euros.
  • Helmholtz Munich

    Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla Honored With the Maximiliansorden

    Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, this year’s Leibniz Prize winner, has received the Bavarian Maximiliansorden for Science and Art. Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder presented the distinguished state honor to her at the State Chancellery, recognizing her pioneering research in stem cell biology and epigenetics.
  • German Cancer Research Center

    Lautenschläger Prize for Young Scientists 2025 awarded to Lukas Bunse

    As a clinician scientist at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, neurologist Lukas Bunse is investigating how the body's own immune system can be supported in fighting brain tumors. For this work, he has been awarded the Lautenschläger Prize for Young Scientists, which is endowed with €25,000.
  • German Cancer Research Center

    Shield against metastases and genetically protected CAR-T cells: Double honor for Mirco Julian Friedrich

    Physician and cancer researcher Mirco Julian Friedrich from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the stem cell research institute HI-STEM*, and Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) has received two awards for two independent research projects: The Beug Foundation has honored his novel approach to preventing liver metastases with the Metastasis Prize 2025. The Kind-Philipp…

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