100,000 Euros for Innovative Projects with a Social Impact
09/16/2025The Wittenstein Foundation supports research projects at the University of Würzburg with the "Würzburger Förderpreis", which is endowed with 50,000 euros. The Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp has now doubled the prize money.
It is aimed at outstanding interdisciplinary research projects at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) which, in addition to scientific innovation, have particular potential for social application: The "Würzburger Förderrpeis", which was established by the Wittenstein Foundation in 2024.
Last year, the founder of the foundation, Dr Manfred Wittenstein, was able to award the prize, which is endowed with 50,000 euros, for the first time. It went to an interdisciplinary research team from the University and University Hospital of Würzburg, which is developing a prototype to improve the detection of colorectal cancer precursors.
Accelerating the Transfer of Knowledge to Society
The Würzburg Vogel Foundation has now joined the funding format and doubled the prize money to 100,000 euros. The increase in prize money is intended to give the prizewinners even better opportunities to take their projects to the next stage of development and accelerate the transfer of knowledge to society.
Representatives of the two foundations, the Universitätsbund and the University of Würzburg have now met to sign the corresponding funding agreement. The Universitätsbund is the Society of Friends and Sponsors of the University of Würzburg. It manages foundations in favour of the university and uses the funds in accordance with the purpose of the foundation.
A Strong Signal to the Region
"This joint sponsorship of two important players in our Mainfranken region is a strong signal. It underlines the confidence in the innovative strength of our university - and it specifically supports those interdisciplinary projects that develop social relevance and impact from excellent research," said University President Paul Pauli in his welcoming address.
The involvement of the Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, complements the previous funding from the Wittenstein Foundation and strengthens the sustainable development of innovation projects in the region. The award ceremony will take place on 13 November 2025 as part of the traditional festive concert of the Universitätsbund Würzburg in the Neubaukirche.
