Scientific awards

The Otto Bayer Award

The Otto Bayer Award was established by one of the most successful chemical researchers as a disposition in his will: Professor Otto Bayer – who was not related to the company’s founders – lived from 1902 to 1982, was in charge of research at Bayer AG for many years and is regarded as the inventor of polyurethane chemistry. He maintained intensive contact to universities and supported higher learning.

The €50,000 Otto Bayer Award was presented yearly between 1984 and 1996, and since 1996 has been awarded every two years to external scientists.

It is presented in honor of outstanding research achievements in groundbreaking areas of chemistry and biochemistry. The current focus is on:

Green biotechnology and genetic engineering
Plant physiology
White biotechnology, biological process engineering
Polymer chemistry
Organic chemistry
Catalysis, biocatalysis
Material science

The winners of the prize

2008	Prof. Dr. Thomas Carell Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

2006	Prof. Dr. Alois Fürstner Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr

2003	Prof. Dr. Christian Griesinger Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen

2001	Prof. Dr. Herbert Waldmann Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund

1998	Prof. Dr. Ulrich Koert Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg Prof. Dr. Carsten Bolm Department of Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Aachen

1996	Prof. Dr. Stefan Jentsch Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried

1995	Prof. Dr. Gerhard Erker Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster Prof. Dr. Paul Knochel Department of Organic Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

1994	Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin

1993	Prof. Dr. François Diederich Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Federal Technical University, Zurich Prof. Dr. Dieter Hoppe Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster

1992	Prof. Dr. Herbert Jäckle Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer Institute), Göttingen Prof. Dr. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen

1991	Prof. Dr. Martin Quack Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Federal Technical University, Zurich

1990	Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann Chair of Inorganic Chemistry, Technical University of Munich Prof. Dr. K. Peter C. Vollhardt Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

1989	Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Berlin

1988	Prof. Dr. Johann Deisenhofer Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center Prof. Dr. Hartmut Michel Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt

1987	Prof. Dr. Martin Jansen Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart Prof. Dr. Arndt Simon Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart

1986	Prof. Dr. Horst Kessler Chair II of Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Munich Prof. Dr. Manfred T. Reetz Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim

1985	Prof. Dr. Heinz Saedler Prof. Dr. Jozef S. Schell Prof. Dr. Klaus Hahlbrock Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne

1984	Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wegner Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz