On Thursday, October 24, the 2024 COPERNICUS Polish-German Research Award ceremony took place in Berlin. This was the tenth anniversary of the Award, which is presented jointly by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The winners of the jubilee edition were Professor Andrzej Udalski from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw and Professor Joachim Wambsganss from Heidelberg University. The Award recognizes the joint research and achievements of both scholars in the field of extrasolar planets.
The event welcomed numerous representatives from the Polish and German scientific communities, alongside colleagues and families of the prize winners, and, in celebration of the Award’s anniversary, also its past recipients. Dr. Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of the DFG, and Professor Maciej Żylicz, President of the FNP, opened the ceremony and welcomed the guests. Professor Günther Hasinger, founding director of the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) delivered a laudation. Jan Tombiński, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Poland to Germany, was also in attendance.
The anniversary tenth edition of the COPERNICUS Award recognized the work of Professor Andrzej Udalski from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw and Professor Joachim Wambsganss from Heidelberg University. The two scientists have discovered the first extrasolar low-mass planet, which is about five times heavier than Earth. They also established that there is a planet orbiting around almost every star in the Milky Way. In the jury’s opinion, Wambsganss and Udalski have made a significant contribution to the development of extrasolar planetary research and a better understanding of extrasolar planetary systems.
2024 COPERNICUS Award winners – Professor Andrzej Udalski and Professor Joachim Wambsganss – with dr Heide Ahrens, Secretary General of the DFG and prof. Maciej Żylicz, President of the FNP
The following day, on October 25, an anniversary symposium accompanied the presentation of the COPERNICUS Award. COPERNICUS Award winners from 2006 to 2024, along with distinguished representatives of German and Polish academia, researchers, and university staff engaged in bilateral projects, gathered to discuss the achievements made to date and future opportunities for German-Polish scientific collaboration. Dr. Marta Łazarowicz-Kowalik, Vice President of the FNP, moderated the discussion. Professor Gesine Schwan and Professor Joachim Sauer – both celebrated for their remarkable contributions to German-Polish scientific cooperation – were honored guests at the meeting.
The COPERNICUS Award is bestowed every two years since 2006 by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and the DFG – German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). The Award seeks to recognize Polish and German researchers whose collaboration has led to exceptional scientific achievements. The Award is presented to a pair of scholars – one from Poland and one from Germany – who are selected through a competition covering all fields of science. Each scientist receives the prize of EUR 100,000.
For more information, see:
- About the winners of the COPERNICUS 2024 Award and the winning research LINK
- About the tenth anniversary of the award – see animation LINK
- About the COPERNICUS Award LINK