For 15 years, the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU has been bringing sponsors together with talented and dedicated students. To mark the anniversary, a ceremony to present the scholarship certificates was held at the Deutsches Museum—as part of a special LMU exhibition. 346 students will receive funding this summer semester of 2026. The ceremony honored their achievements as well as the long-standing commitment of the sponsors.
Exhibition “Planetary Health – At the Heart of Humanity and the Planet” | © Eugen Gebhardt
While the summer heat was intense outside, the focus inside the Deutsches Museum was on the consequences of climate change. Before the award ceremony, the LMU special exhibition “Planetary Health – At the Heart of Humanity and the Planet” guided guests through one of the most pressing issues of our time. Many used fans to cool off a bit in the sweltering heat. Others were already making plans for how they could shed their formal attire and cool off after the event.
Before the event begins, the hall fills with the invited guests. | © COPYRIGHT 2025 by Sabine Jakobs
For the award ceremony itself, we headed to the pleasantly cool event hall. Surrounded by historic airplanes, helicopters, turbines, and propellers, the formal certificate presentation began. A classical string ensemble opened the evening with renditions of modern pop songs.
“Much of what once seemed impossible became reality—because people were willing to think beyond the familiar”: With these words, LMU Vice President Professor Francesca Biagini opened her first Deutschlandstipendium award ceremony. Few places embody this spirit as much as the Deutsches Museum. But to achieve this, she said, it takes people who have the courage to break new ground. “This is precisely the kind of trust that the sponsors place in the scholarship recipients.”
Vice President Francesca Biagini welcoming the guests | © COPYRIGHT 2025 by Sabine Jakobs
The Deutschlandstipendium program is particularly close to Biagini’s heart because she herself received a scholarship during her studies. It enabled her to focus entirely on her studies. “This experience not only shaped me academically, but also showed me how valuable support is,” the vice president explained. Even later in life, she said, she repeatedly encountered people who supported her. That is why, for her, the Deutschlandstipendium is about much more than just financial aid.
She made a special appeal to the scholarship recipients: “Take advantage of this opportunity to talk with your sponsors.” After all, behind every grant is a person who believes in the potential of young people. At the same time, she urged people to recruit additional supporters for the Deutschlandstipendium. “Every grant is an investment in talent and in the future.”
According to Biagini, the anniversary impressively demonstrates how successfully the program has developed: What began with 73 Deutschlandstipendium grants has grown to more than 6,000 grants over the past 15 years. Many of those who once received support are now giving others a chance themselves. She sees this as one of the program’s particular strengths.
Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics at LMU | © Eugen Gebhardt
This year’s keynote address was delivered by Professor Harald Lesch of the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at LMU, who is known to an audience of millions for his science television programs. He covered a wide range of topics, from the search for habitable planets to our responsibility for Earth. Despite the discovery of thousands of planets, he noted, there is still no second planet like ours. “We have only this one world,” Lesch warned. He described the Deutschlandstipendium as a “great enabler”: it creates opportunities for young people who want to help shape the future with their curiosity, sense of responsibility, and ideas.
Vice President Biagini with the Anniversary Sponsors | © Eugen Gebhardt
Biagini then paid tribute to the sponsors who have supported the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU for 15 years:
This was followed by the highlight of the evening: the presentation of the certificates.
Speech by the Sponsors - Anna Sophia Ressler of the Johann Ressler Bildungsförderwerk e.V. | © Eugen Gebhardt
Anna Sophia Ressler then shared what can come from a connection made through the Deutschlandstipendium. Eight years ago, she herself was a Deutschlandstipendium recipient. During that time, she met Quentin, a medical student. He had lost his mother at the age of 16. Three months later, Ressler’s father passed away. “Quentin was a major source of support for me during that time,” she recalls. Their shared conversations about grief and the challenges of losing close family members eventually led to the idea of founding a nonprofit organization that today supports students at LMU and other universities facing similar life situations.
That evening, Ressler herself took the stage as a supporter. “To me, this demonstrates the power of support: it continues to have an impact.” She expressed her gratitude to the supporters: “You give your time, knowledge, experience, and the courage to continue on your own path.” She offered the new scholarship recipients some advice: “Take advantage of the opportunity to engage in conversation with one another—some encounters could change your lives.”
Scholarship recipients with their certificates | © Eugen Gebhardt
At the reception that followed, the evening came to a close amid lively conversations between sponsors and scholarship recipients. The next event has already been scheduled: On October 7, the sponsors will meet in the LMU University Forest near Landshut. There, LMU will thank them for their commitment by offering them the opportunity to sponsor a tree. Just as planting a young tree is an investment in the future, so too is awarding a Deutschlandstipendium.
Save the Date: October 7, 2026—Visit to the University Forest as part of the LMU Tree Sponsorship Program for Deutschlandstipendium Sponsors
Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP • Allianz Deutschland AG • Allianz SE • Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH • Amgen Research (Munich) GmbH • Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH • BSI Business Systems Integration Deutschland GmbH •
CFGI Germany GmbH • CHECK24 GmbH • d-fine GmbH • Infineon Technologies AG • PERI SE • Philip Morris GmbH • QuantCo Deutschland GmbH • Samsung Semiconductor Europe GmbH • Sempt Apotheke Erding Benedikt Friedl • Stadtsparkasse München • TRATON SE • Vetoquinol GmbH • Wacker Chemie AG
Anna Maria Eva Schleip-Stiftung • Dr. Democh-Maurmeier-Stipendienstiftung • Dr. In-Wha Lee-Weigand Stiftung • Dr. Rolf und Hildegard und Günter ScheunertStiftung • Eberhard-Strieder-Stiftung • Ebner-Stiftung • Eginhard und Franziska Jungmann-Stiftung • Eleonora-Schamberger-Stiftung • Freiherr von Handel’sche Stiftung • Gschwendtner-Stiftung • Hans-Rudolf-Stiftung • Heinz und Sybille Laufer-Stiftung für Politische Wissenschaft • Herbert Lutz-Gedächtnis-Stiftung • Johann Konen-Stipendienstiftung • Jones Day Foundation • Leonhard-Moll-Stiftung • Louise-Blackborne-Stiftung • Nachlass Athanasios - Prof. Hans von Thiel Stipendium • Nachlass John Loesch • Rosa-Schneider-Stiftung • Sachiko Shioda-Krach Stipendien-Stiftung Japan • Stiftung Dr. Helmut Röschinger • Strathmann-Stiftung • Vereinigte Stipendienstiftung der Universität München • Wilhelm Sander Stiftung für Dres. Paul und Ilka von Hoegen
Alumni der Münchner Tierärztlichen Fakultät (AMTF) e.V. • Caratheodory Gesellschaft • Collegium Aegyptium e.V. - Förderkreis des Instituts für Ägyptologie • Erzdiözese München und Freising KdöR • Förderkreis der Deutschen Journalistenschule e.V. • Freunde der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie • Gesellschaft der Münchner Landeshistoriker e.V. • Gesellschaft für Archäologie in Bayern e.V. • Johann Ressler Bildungsförderwerk e.V. • LMU Klinikum • LMU Management Alumni e.V. • Münchener Universitätsgesellschaft e.V.
• Münchner Volkswirte Alumni-Club e.V. • Rotary Club München-Martinsried • Soroptimistische Hilfe München Schwabing e.V. • Studentenhilfe der Tierärztlichen Fakultät der LMU München e.V. • Ukraine-Hilfsfonds • WASTI e.V.
Dr. Katharina Biller-Friedmann • Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bürklin • Dr. med. Gabriele Etzel-Kuchtner • Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Höppe & Prof. Dr. Gerhard Berz • Caroline und Falk Husemann • Dr. Ingo Luge • Dr. jur. Thomas Pflüger • Prof. Dr. Heinrich Steinlein • Edeltraud Thoma • Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Martin Wirsing und Sabine Wirsing • Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zwißler
We would also like to thank the many donors to the Deutschlandstipendium who wish to remain anonymous-.