Award ceremony. From left to right: Chitkala Kalidas, Meritxell Huch, and Hans Schöler ©Meertzfilm
The Bayer Foundation celebrated their Science Awards on February 17, 2025, in Leverkusen. The Bayer Foundation Science Awards honor exceptional scientists whose groundbreaking research has resulted in solving complex problems and also has a positive impact on society.
Meritxell Huch, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden, Germany, received the prestigious Otto Bayer Award from the Bayer Foundation for her pioneering research on human organoids.
The Executive Director of the Bayer Foundation, Chitkala Kalidas, hosted the event alongside Stefan Oelrich, a member of the Executive Council and member of the Board of Management, and Matthias Berninger, a member of the Board of Trustees, to honor the Bayer Foundation Science Award winners for the Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker Award, the Early Excellence in Science Awards, and the Otto Bayer Award.
Next to Meritxell Huch, four early-career scientists are honored with the Early Excellence in Science Awards. For their exceptional contributions to novel catalytic chemical reactions and their applications in drug discovery, neuroprosthetics and regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, and neuropsychiatric disorders, Richard Liu, Jordan Squair, Ivana Winkler, and Na Cai received the Early Excellence in Science Awards.
The Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker Award 2024 went to Alena Buyx in recognition of her impactful work on public health and ethics policy.
These awards underline the Bayer Foundation's commitment to pioneering research that provides solutions to major health and environmental issues and promotes collaboration between science and practice.
Congratulations to all awardees!
MPI-CBG news on the Otto-Bayer award annuouncement: https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/otto-bayer-award-for-meritxell-huch
Video of the Bayer Foundation on Otto Bayer Award winner Prof. Meritxell Huch.