Christof Niehrs appointed to the DFG’s Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Selection Committee

PRESS RELEASE

Mainz, 20 July 2020 - Professor Christof Niehrs, Executive & Scientific Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), has been appointed as a member of the highly prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Selection Committee.

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the most prestigious research prize in Germany and is awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to top scientists for outstanding scientific achievements. Up to 10 prizes are awarded each year to scientists from any field of research. Winners of this prize are awarded up to €2.5 m to expand their research activities and allow them to employ exceptional younger scientists in their labs.

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Selection Committee is comprised of 32 internationally recognised and experienced scientists, who meet every year to make recommendations on the nominees for this prestigious award. Christof Niehrs was previously awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2003 for his work identifying genes that control embryonic development and deciphering the molecular basis of head formation in Xenopus embryos. Now, as a member of the Selection Committee, he will participate in the selection of new generations of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz prize-winners.

_{Further details}

_{Further information can be found here: www.dfg.de/en/funded_projects/prizewinners/leibniz_prize/index.html}  

_{Prof Christof Niehrs is the Executive Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and a Professor of Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Further information about research in Niehrs lab can be found at www.imb.de/research/niehrs.}

_{About the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH}

_{The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a centre of excellence in the life sciences that was established in 2011 on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Research at IMB focuses on three cutting-edge areas: epigenetics, developmental biology, and genome stability. The institute is a prime example of successful collaboration between a private foundation and government: The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has committed 154 million euros to be disbursed from 2009 until 2027 to cover the operating costs of research at IMB. The State of Rhineland-Palatinate has provided approximately 50 million euros for the construction of a state-of-the-art building and is giving a further 52 million in core funding from 2020 until 2027. For more information about IMB, please visit: www.imb.de.}

_{Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931–1991), a member of the shareholder family of the company Boehringer Ingelheim. With the Perspectives Programme “Plus 3” and the Exploration Grants, the foundation supports independent junior group leaders. It also endows the internationally renowned Heinrich Wieland Prize as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists. In addition, the Foundation is donating a total of 154 million euros from 2009 to 2027 to the University of Mainz for the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB). Since 2013, the Foundation has been providing a further 50 million euros for the development of the life sciences at the University of Mainz. www.bistiftung.de}

_{Press contact for further information}

_{Dr Ralf Dahm, Director of Scientific Management, Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany. Phone: +49 (0) 6131 39 21455, Fax: +49 (0) 6131 39 21421, Email: press(at)imb.de}