Video: DFG awards Georg Schett the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
2.5 million euros for FAU researcher and his work into immunomedicine.
His research gives people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases such as lupus new hope: Prof. Dr. Georg Schett has been awarded the most important German research prize, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, in recognition of his work. The prize is not only a prestigious honor, it also entails 2.5 million euros in research funds for Erlangen, where Schett is Vice President Research, Chair of Internal Medicine III at FAU and director of the Department of Medicine 3 – Rheumatology and Immunology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.
Georg Schett is pleased not only because the prize entails such generous funding which can be used to conduct more extensive research into checkpoints for inflammation, but also because it raises awareness among the general public. “In recent months, we have made a number of breakthroughs in the fight against autoimmune diseases. We are keen to raise awareness among society for this type of disease, to ensure that people are aware of the triggers and possible treatments to enable patients to access improved, innovative treatment methods at an early stage and increase understanding of these diseases among the general public.”
On March 15, 2023, Prof. Dr. Katja Becker, President of the German Research Foundation officially presented Georg Schett and other prizewinners their prizes, at a ceremony also attended by Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the Federal Minister for Education and Research, and the Bavarian science minister Markus Blume (min. 1:38:25):
The research funding program for top-level researchers
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) is the most important research award in Germany. The Leibniz Program, established in 1985, aims to improve the working conditions of outstanding researchers, expand their research opportunities, relieve them of administrative tasks, and help them employ particularly well-qualified young researchers. The prize is endowed with up to 2.5 million euros.
More information on the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is available on the DFG website.
Further prizewinners from FAU
All Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz prizewinners from FAU
The man who controls electrons: Peter Hommelhoff
Between materials and manufacturing: Marion Merklein
