Bonn (dpa/lby) - Researchers at three Bavarian universities will receive the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2023, each endowed with 2.5 million euros. Claudia Höbartner from the University of Würzburg, Georg Schett from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Fabian Theis from the Helmholtz Center and the Technical University of Munich, as the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced on Thursday in Bonn. Ten scientists were recognized nationwide.
The Würzburg chemistry professor Höbartner receives the award for her research on the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. Höbartner used novel chemical processes and elements of chemical biology to justify his decision. The DFG honors the medical doctor Georg Schett for his research work in the fields of rheumatology and osteoimmunology. Among other things, the professor researched the role of autoantibodies in the formation of bone-degrading cells in joint inflammation. The bioinformatician Theis is to be honored with the award for his pioneering work in the analysis, modeling and interpretation of genomic data. These are used, for example, when researching cell changes after a corona infection.
The winners can use the prize money for their research work for up to seven years. The award ceremony is on March 15, 2023 in Berlin. The award, which has been presented annually by the DFG since 1986, is considered the most important research funding award in Germany.
