Our Current
Award Winners 2023
Outstanding Achievements
Made in Saxony-Anhalt
The Hugo Junkers Award stands for compelling research projects and innovations from Saxony-Anhalt. A high degree of innovation has therefore always been central to the award, which is presented every two years. In the most recent competition, the jury chaired by Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus decided to place additional emphasis on the societal benefits of the applications. Many of the 69 entries from science, industry and the skilled trades met this criterion. We are delighted to celebrate the success of these talented teams from our state!
Most Innovative Projects in
Basic Research
For centuries, basic research in the natural sciences has laid the foundations for innovation and new technologies. In this category, the Hugo Junkers Award recognizes forward-looking projects that address current questions and can demonstrate an advance over existing knowledge.
Meet the Nominees (German) Meet the Winner (German)
In 2023, the jury awarded first, second and third place as follows:
Hydrogel-Forming Nanofibers – A New Option for Ocular Drug Delivery
Prof. Dr. Karsten Mäder
Prof. Dr. Arne Viestenz
Dr. Joana Heinzelmann
Benedikt Göttel
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Institute of Pharmacy
Department of Ophthalmology
A Novel Biocompatible Ta-Nb-Ti Multicomponent Alloy with Antibacterial Properties for Biomedical Applications
Maximilian Regenberg
Dr.-Ing. Janett Schmelzer
Dr.-Ing. Georg Hasemann
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Manja Krüger
Prof. Dr. Jessica Bertrand
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Chair of High-Temperature Materials
Experimental Orthopedics
Endogenous Retroviruses as Targets for New Therapies for Neurological Diseases
Dr. Alexander Emmer
Dr. Holger Cynis
Prof. Dr. Martin Sebastian Staege
University Hospital Halle (Saale)
Department of Neurology
Department of Pediatrics I
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology
Most Innovative Projects in
Applied Research
Applied research brings practical applications and scientific methods to everyday problems. Participants in this Hugo Junkers Award category have developed their innovative solutions to the point where representative research results are available in the form of prototypes or clinical studies.
Meet the Nominees (German) Meet the Winner (German)
Those who could also demonstrate potential benefits for Saxony-Anhalt's economy took first, second and third place:
µRIGS – Micropositioning Robotics for Image-Guided Surgery
Ivan Vogt
Dr. med. Bennet Hensen
Dr. rer. nat. Marcel Gutberlet
Robert Odenbach
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
STIMULATE Research Campus
Pro-Kran-Assist: Intelligent Process Monitoring for Crane Automation
Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Lange
Dipl.-Informationswirt (FH) Thomas Lehmann
Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Kleinwächter
Hon.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Richter
M. Sc. Daniel Sopauschke
Kranbau Köthen GmbH
Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF
In-Situ Electrical Analyser – A High-Resolution Analysis Tool for Semiconductor Technologies
Dr. Grigore Moldovan, Christoph Sichting, Marcus Joachimi, Dr. Florian Otto Schumann,
Uwe Grauel, Michael Zabel, Dr. René Hammer, Fazken Kacho, Dr. David Cooper, Wolfgang Joachimi
point electronic GmbH
CEA-Leti, Minatec
Most Innovative Products,
Services & Business Models
Unique customer benefits and market readiness are the criteria used by the jury to assess the products, services and business models entered in this category of the Hugo Junkers Award.
Meet the Nominees (German) Meet the Winner (German)
The following award winners convincingly demonstrated the added value of their developments through industry analyses, customer surveys or representative studies and made the strongest impression on the jury in 2023:
Simple, Scalable Synthesis of Plant-Based Cholesterol to GMP Standards
Prof. Dr. Dieter Schinzer
Dr. Oliver Spieß
Dr. Maxim Munt
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Faculty of Process and Systems Engineering
Institute of Chemistry
The Digital Student ID
Stefan Wegener
Tobias Steenweg
UniNow GmbH
Maximum Shelf Life and Natural Ingredients for Flavored Water
Dr. Jenny Müller
Daniel Koch
Die Frischemanufaktur GmbH
Special Award: Most Innovative Projects in
Energy and Environmental Research
Energy and environmental research may currently be the field under the greatest pressure to innovate.
Meet the Nominees (German) Meet the Winner (German)
For this reason, the jury of the Hugo Junkers Award honored innovative products and services that make a significant, lasting contribution in this field in the 2023 special category:
LECO – High-Throughput Equipment for Improving Solar Cell Efficiency
Eve Krassowski
Patrick Müller
CE Cell Engineering GmbH
A Recycling Process for Crystalline Solar Modules
Dr.-Ing. Jan-Philipp Mai
Fridolin Franke
Jan Bargel
Solar Materials GmbH
Nanolope Buffer Storage for Surplus Heat
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hahn
Dr. Shewaye Yismaw Wubetu
Felix Marske
Patrick Richter
Eric Matthes
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg / Institute of Chemistry