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Nano Innovation Award

The Nano Innovation Award is awarded annually by the Center for NanoScience together with the CeNS spin-offs attocube systems, ibidi, Nanion Technologies, and NanoTemper Technologies, to honor junior researchers at Bavarian research institutions for excellent research in the nanosciences. Outstanding PhD students in the field of nanosciences/nano(bio)technology are invited to apply. Research projects should offer some potential for innovative applications.

Prize money:
1. Prize: € 4,000
2. Prize: € 3,000
3. Prize: € 2,000

Who can participate? 

Graduate students and recently graduated researchers from Bavarian universities and research institutions, working on on a nanoscientific topic are eligible. Their thesis examination must not have been earlier than June 15, 2023. Graduate students who have not finished their thesis yet are also welcome to apply.

Submission guideline

The following documents (in English) have to be submitted by the applicant: 

  • Nomination letter by the supervisor (maximum two pages). The nomination letter can be sent directly by the supervisor or be submitted by the student together with the additional application documents.
  • Maximum three pages: Summary of the research project and description of the innovative character of the work and explanation of a potential application of the research work (or parts of it) for industry
  • a 1-minute video pitch describing the project (please submit a download link by June 4)
  • Curriculum Vitae (including PhD certificate, if applicable)
  • List of publications and patents (if applicable)
  • Download link for PhD thesis (if applicable)

Applications should be sent as PDFs by e-mail to hennig@cens.de. Deadline is June 4, 2024.

Selection Process

The selection committee 2024 comprises of five members:
- tba

The selection of the awardees is a two-stage process. Shortlisted candidates will be informed and invited about 10 days before the award ceremony.

Main selection criteria:

  • Innovation quality         
  • Validation of the central idea (existing “proof of principle”)      
  • Application focus of the work and plausibility in terms of current state of technology
  • Central idea is published, patent filed etc.

The award ceremony 2024 will take place at CeNS meets Industry on July 12.

Supporters

Awardees 2023

1. Prize
Stephan Müssig (AG Mandel, FAU): Development of supraparticles suitable for magnetic identification tags

2. Prize
Pauline Kolbeck (AG Lipfert, LMU): DNA Origami Fiducial for 3D Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging

3. Prize
Tomás Santiago-Cruz (AG Chekhova, MPI of the Science of Light): Entangled photons generation from quantum optical metasurfaces

Awardees 2022

1. Prize
Tobias Boolakee, group of Prof. Peter Hommelhoff (FAU Erlangen)

2. Prize
Maximilian Ochs, group of Prof. Bert Hecht (University of Würzburg)

3. Prize
Tim Schröder, group of Prof. Philip Tinnefeld (LMU Munich)

 

Awardees 2021 (The virtual award ceremony 2021, including the presentations of the finalists, can be watched Opens external link in new windowhere)

1. Prize
Christian Sigl, group of Prof. Hendrik Dietz (TU Munich)

2. Prize
Jan Felber, group of Dr. Thorn-Seshold (LMU Munich)

3. Prize
Jun Zhang, group of Prof. Clausen-Schaumann (Hochschule München)

Awardees 2020 (The award ceremony 2020, including the presentations of the finalists, can be watched here: Opens external link in new windowhttps://youtu.be/NMqMEFnAlAo)

1. Prize
Dr. Bernhard Bohn, group of Prof. Jochen Feldmann (LMU Munich)

2. Prize
Linh Nguyen, group of Prof. Tim Liedl (LMU Munich)

3. Prize
Enno Krauss, group of Prof. Bert Hecht (University of Würzburg)

Awardees 2019

Nano Innovation Award for master's thesis
Sabrina Thomä, group of Jun.-Prof. Mirijam Zobel (Universität Bayreuth)

Nano Innovation Award for PhD thesis
Thomas Hümmer, group of Prof. Theodor Hänsch (LMU Munich/MPI of Quantum Optics)

Awardees 2018

Nano Innovation Award for master's thesis
Konstantin Ditzel, group of Dr. Philipp Paulitschke/Chair Prof. Joachim Rädler (LMU)

Nano Innovation Award for PhD thesis
Dr. Klaus Wagenbauer, group of Prof. Hendrik Dietz (TU Munich)

Awardees 2017

Nano Innovation Award for master's thesis
Florian Schüder, group of Prof. Ralf Jungmann (MPI of Biochemistry/LMU)

Nano Innovation Award for PhD thesis
Stefan Datz, group of Prof. Thomas Bein (LMU)
Peter Röttgermann, group of Prof. Joachim Rädler (LMU)
Patrick Vogel, group of Prof. Peter Jacob (University of Würzburg)

Awardees 2015

CeNS Innovation Award for master's thesis
Aurora Manzi, group of Prof. Jochen Feldmann (LMU)

CeNS Innovation Award for PhD thesis
Christof Mast, group of Prof. Dieter Braun (LMU)