The nominees for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2009 answered questions posed by an interested public as part of the winter lecture series at the Deutsches Museum. The Director General of the Deutsches Museum, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang M. Heckl, chaired the evening. In their brief presentations, the nominees reported on the development of their projects and the road to their commercial implementation. This step – from the innovation to product – is an important condition for being put on the shortlist for the Federal President’s prize for technology and innovation.

Professor Peter Gruss, since 2002 President of the Max Planck Society, receives the Order Merit, First Class on October 5, 2009.

In conferring the award, Germany’s President Horst Köhler pays tribute to the work Prof. Gruss has done to advance the Max Planck Society and make it one of the leading research institutes in the world. His dedication as a mediator between the worlds of science and business was also recognized. As a member of numerous panels and committees, including the board of trustees of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize), Professor Gruss has actively worked to strengthen research and development in Germany.

“The Deutscher Zukunftspreis goes to …” Once a year this is how a very good piece of news starts for the winning researcher or developer team: Federal President Horst Köhler opens the envelope and names the winner of the coveted “Innovation Oscar”. The ceremony will take place this year on December 2. The time until then will once again be full of suspense …

The exciting first critical stage of the selection process for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis and the awarding of € 250,000 in prize money is the announcement of the teams nominated for the final round. At a press conference to be held on September 22, 2009 and at the invitation of the head of the Federal President’s Office Undersecretary of State Dr. Gert Haller, the three teams nominated for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2009 will be presented to the public for the first time.

In the presence of the prize winners of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2008, Dr. Jiri Marek, Dr. Frank Melzer, and Dr. Michael Offenberg, the exhibit “Smart Sensors take over Consumer Electronics, Industry, and Medicine”, their award-winning innovation, was unveiled in the permanent exhibition on the German Future Prize at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wolff, Undersecretary of State in the Office of the Federal President, and the Director General of the Deutsches Museum, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang M. Heckl, presented the new exhibit in the presence of numerous guests and the development team.