The Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize) honors outstanding achievements in technology, engineering, and the life sciences that have resulted in viable products. As a leading technology company, ZEISS has already been among the finalists five times. ZEISS was awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis in 2020 and 2022, and was shortlisted in 2004, 2020, and 2025.
Development team from ZEISS Medical Technology shortlisted
Dr. Mark Bischoff, Dr. Gregor Stobrawa, and Dirk Mühlhoff have been nominated for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2025 with their project for minimally invasive lenticule extraction to correct refractive errors. Together with the team from ZEISS Medical Technology, they developed the highly precise technology required for this: SMILE® with VisuMax®. This technology enables surgeons to correct near-sightedness (myopia) and far-sightedness (hyperopia), with and without astigmatism.
Innovation is a way of life at ZEISS. You might say it is in the company's genes. The nominations and prizes are a welcome confirmation of our company's innovative strength – effectively promoting economic and social progress in equal measure.
Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2022
Deutscher Zukunftspreis/Ansgar Pudenz
Ralf Wolleschensky, Dr. Jörg Siebenmorgen, and Dr. Thomas Kalkbrenner (from left) were awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2022 for the development of the ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7 microscope system.
ZEISS microscope developers win Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2022
The development of ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7 for the gentle 3D imaging of living cells was honored with the Federal President's Award for Technology and Innovation.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded the 2022 Deutscher Zukunftspreis to the team from ZEISS during a formal ceremony on October 26. The jury honored the ZEISS experts Dr. Thomas Kalkbrenner, Dr. Jörg Siebenmorgen, and Ralf Wolleschensky for their significant contribution to the development of the ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7 microscope system. This system enables, for the first time, biomedical researchers to observe living cells live and in 3D for hours or even days.
The research team from ZEISS, TRUMPF, and Fraunhofer was awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020 for the development of EUV lithography (left to right): Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Dr. Peter Kürz, ZEISS SMT segment, Dr. Sergiy Yulin, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF), und Dr. Michael Kösters, TRUMPF Lasersystems for Semiconductor Manufacturing.
Development team from ZEISS, TRUMPF, and Fraunhofer wins Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020
The Federal President's Award for Technology and Innovation was presented to the team from the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment for the development of EUV lithography.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020 to the team from the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment during a formal ceremony on November 25. The jury recognized Dr. Peter Kürz, ZEISS, Dr. Michael Kösters, TRUMPF Lasersystems for Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Dr. Sergiy Yulin, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) in Jena, for their significant contribution to the development and industrial maturity of EUV technology.
Development team from ZEISS Medical Technology shortlisted
In 2020, ZEISS was the first company in the history of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis to be nominated twice in the same year. In addition to the winning EUV team, a team from ZEISS Medical Technology was also among the nominees. ZEISS experts Dr. Michelangelo Masini and Frank Seitzinger from the ZEISS team together with Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Raabe from the Swiss Inselspital (University Hospital of Bern) were finalists for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2020. Their project: the KINEVO® 900 robotic visualization system from ZEISS, which improves the efficiency and effectiveness of surgical procedures.
ZEISS team nominated for Deutscher Zukunftspreis for LSM 510 META laser scanning microscope.
Dr. Ulrich Simon, Dr. Bernhard Zimmermann, and Ralf Wolleschensky from the Microscopy business group were among the nominees for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2004. They were nominated for the German President's Award for Technology and Innovation for the market-ready development of the LSM 510 META laser scanning microscope. The LSM 510 META laser scanning microscope presents scientists from a wide range of biomedical research disciplines with new experimental possibilities on living specimens.
ZEISS is the leading global partner in optical and technological innovation, enabling visionary minds in science, medicine, and industry to improve human quality of life and drive progress worldwide. Innovation is part of the ZEISS strategy and is anchored in its corporate identity. It is the foundation for the ZEISS Group's continued growth. That's why ZEISS invests 15% of its revenue in research and development work.
The Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize) is a renowned science award in Germany that has been presented annually since 1997 by the Federal President. It honors outstanding achievements in technology, engineering, and the life sciences, as well as software- and algorithm-based developments that have resulted in viable products.
As an internationally leading technology enterprise, ZEISS has been shortlisted five times. ZEISS received the Deutscher Zukunftspreis in 2020 and 2022, and was shortlisted in 2004, 2020, and 2025.
ZEISS continuously invests 15% of revenue in research and development to drive innovation and technological progress.
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