IHK and university honor young scientists

Dr. Thomas Izgin and Chris René Hoffmann received the awards for their excellent and economically relevant research achievements at a festive awards ceremony at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Kassel. Since 1984, the awards have recognized dissertations, post-doctoral theses, master's theses and other research work of particular importance to business and society. They are awarded annually, alternating between Kassel and Marburg.

Research with impact: 2025 award winners

Dr. Thomas Izgin received the IHK Science Prize, worth 5,200 euros, for his dissertation "A Unifying Theory for Runge-Kutta-like Time Integrators: Convergence and Stability". His work provides the first comprehensive Mathematics theory for so-called Patankar-type methods. These methods enable reliable simulations of complex scientific processes and thus form the basis for progress in research and industrial applications.

Chris René Hoffmann received the prize of 1,600 euros. His master's thesis "Hybrid solar thermal heat pump systems for industry and commerce: Systematic comparison of operating modes and system efficiency" investigates the optimal combination of solar thermal energy and heat pumps in industrial processes. The results will flow directly into a new research project with regional industrial partners.

IHK President Désirée Derin-Holzapfel emphasized that the transfer of knowledge between research institutions and companies could translate scientific findings into marketable products, services and processes. "This benefits the innovative strength of companies and the entire region. This transfer is a key to competitiveness and growth. For this reason, every year we recognize people who drive this transfer forward through excellent research work with a strong practical focus," said the IHK President. Their professors, who have supported this work from start to finish, also deserve the honor.

Dr. Oliver Fromm, Chancellor of the University of Kassel, sees excellent science as the soil in which innovations thrive. "The IHK awards have been a symbol of the good cooperation between science and business in our region for more than 40 years. They also embody the expectation that scientific findings are economically applicable or usable and therefore contribute to the economic development of our region. And there are many positive examples of this, both start-ups and successful business collaborations. We are therefore building many bridges between scientific curiosity and economic implementation," said Fromm.

Impetus from practice

To kick off the event, entrepreneur and serial founder Jörg Lamprecht gave an impulse on the topic of "Transfer of innovation, market introduction and capitalization". He emphasized the importance of bold ideas, rapid transfers and functioning innovation ecosystems for the success of medium-sized companies. Lamprecht founded several software companies after completing his studies. In 2011, he entered the drone business with the company Aibotix. In 2016, he launched the drone defense specialist Dedrone, which was acquired by the US company Axon in 2024.

Jury and tradition

The jury is made up of university lecturers, entrepreneurs and representatives from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. This year's members were:

• Dr. Hans-Friedrich Breithaupt, F.W. Breithaupt & Sohn GmbH & Co.
• Dr. Arnd Klein-Zirbes, IHK Kassel-Marburg
• Prof. Dr. Markus Pfuhl, Viessmann Generations Group GmbH & Co. KG
• Prof. Dr. Peter Racky, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Ralf Kiran Schulz, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Mark Junge, Limón GmbH

For over 40 years, the science and sponsorship awards have been an expression of the close partnership between science and business in North Hesse and the Marburg region - and a strong signal of the region's innovative strength.