On 17 November 2022, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina awarded the Greve Prize for the first time. The biennial science prize, funded by the Hamburg Foundation for Science, Development and Culture Helmut and Hannelore Greve, recognises the outstanding research achievements of scientists and research teams in the fields of natural science/medicine and technical science.
The first Greve Prize on the topic of "Scientific Foundations of a Sustainable Energy Supply" went to the physicist Prof. Dr. Kerstin Volz, University of Marburg, and the physical chemist Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek, Justus Liebig University Giessen. With this award, Leopoldina honoured the joint research achievements of both researchers in the basic research of high-performance batteries given the challenges of a sustainable energy economy.
In his speech of thanks to the auditorium in the Hamburg City Hall, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek emphasised the collaboration of the working groups with Prof. Dr. Kerstin Volz:
"It is certainly another secret of our cooperation that it has become a real collaboration, a collaboration at eye level between the groups. None of us could achieve alone what we achieve together."
The Community Award has highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research and networking. We are pleased about the high distinction of our DGM member, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek, who has shown loyalty to our association for more than ten years. We wish you and Dr. Kerstin Volz every success in your continued collaboration.