The Helmholtz Prize sets standards in the realm of metrology – for this reason alone, it is the flagship of the Helmholtz Fund. The prize was first awarded on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Fund. Since then, the jury’s choices have been unfailingly outstanding, as evidenced by the list of awardees. All awardees have sustainably advanced the art of measurement, and many today are among the most renowned researchers in metrology. Stefan Hell, for example, was awarded the Helmholtz Prize in 2001, long before he was honoured with the Nobel Prize in 2014 for his work titled “Breaking the diffraction barrier in fluorescence microscopy”.
The Helmholtz Prize, which recognizes outstanding scientific and technological research in the field of “precision measurement in physics, chemistry and medicine”, has been awarded in two categories since 2016: “fundamentals and applications”. The last award ceremony took place in a festive atmosphere as part of the WE Hereus Seminar "Fundamental Constants: "Basic Physics and Units" at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef.
The call for proposals for the 2020 Helmholtz Prize in both categories (“fundamentals” and “applications”) has just been published and will remain open until 16 December 2019. For each category, the prize consists of a certificate and €20,000. The awarding ceremony will take place from 11 May - 14 May 2020 at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef as part of the WE Heraeus Seminar “Hybrid Solid State Quantum Circuits, Sensors, and Metrology.
The Helmholtz Fund promotes the professional equality of women and men and is thus especially interested in receiving applications from women.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Ullrich
Vorsitzer des Helmholtz-Fonds e. V.
