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.
Grand opening with electric violin and electric cello | © 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.
Students and sponsors at the scholarship award ceremony | © 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.”
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.
Students and sponsors at the scholarship award ceremony | © 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.”
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.
Vice President Jahraus at the pandemic certificate ceremony | © 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.
Biagini then paid tribute to the sponsors who have supported the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU for the past 15 years: Allianz, the alumni of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Munich University Society, Stadtsparkasse München, as well as former LMU Vice President Martin Wirsing and his wife. This was followed by the highlight of the evening: the presentation of the certificates.
Vice President Jahraus at the pandemic certificate ceremony | © 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.
Biagini then paid tribute to the sponsors who have supported the Deutschlandstipendium at LMU for the past 15 years: Allianz, the alumni of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Munich University Society, Stadtsparkasse München, as well as former LMU Vice President Martin Wirsing and his wife. This was followed by the highlight of the evening: the presentation of the certificates.
The Deutschlandstipendium – an investment in the future | © 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.”
This year's specialist lecture by Prof. Dr. Andreas Ladurner, Head of the Chair of Physiological Chemistry and the Core Facility Biophysics at LMU | © 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.
Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP • Allianz Deutschland AG • Allianz SE • AmazonDeutschland 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 • MAWISTA GmbH • PERI SE • Pizzeria Tabié • QuantCo Deutschland GmbH • Samsung Semiconductor Europe GmbH • Santander Universitäten / Santander Consumer Bank AG • Sempt Apotheke Erding Benedikt Friedl • Stadtsparkasse München • Vetoquinol GmbH • Wacker Chemie AG • Yourfirm GmbH & Co. KG
Anna Maria Eva Schleip-Stiftung • Dr. Democh-Maurmeier-Stipendienstiftung • Dr. In-Wha Lee-Weigand Stiftung • Dr. Rolf und Hildegard und Günter Scheunert-Stiftung • Eberhard-Strieder-Stiftung • Ebner-Stiftung • Eginhard und Franziska Jungmann-Stiftung • Eleonora Schamberger Stiftung • Freiherr von Handel‘sche Stiftung • Hans-Jürgen Schulz-Stiftung • Hans-Rudolf-Stiftung • Heinz und Sybille Laufer-Stiftung für Politische Wissenschaft • Herbert Lutz-Gedächtnis-Stiftung • Jones Day Foundation • Leonhard-Moll-Stiftung • Nachlass John Loesch • Rosa-Schneider-Stiftung • Sachiko Shioda-Krach Stipendien-Stiftung Japan • Stiftung Dr. Helmut Röschinger • Strathmann-Stiftung • Vereinigte Stipendienstiftung der Universität München • WELTENMENSCH | Stiftung Hans Nerth • Wilhelm Sander Stiftung für Dres. Paul und Ilka von Hoegen
Alumni der Münchner Tierärztlichen Fakultät (AMTF) e.V. • Collegium Aegyptium e.V. - Förderkreis des Instituts für Ägyptologie • Erzdiözese München und Freising KdöR • Förderkreis der Deutschen Journalistenschule e.V. • Freunde der BayerischenStaatssammlung 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. • WALUMNI e.V. (WASTI Alumni) • WASTI e.V.
Caroline und Falk Husemann • Dietmar Holy • Dr. Ingo Luge • Dr. jur. Thomas Pflüger • Dr. med. Gabriele Etzel-Kuchtner • Dr. med. Katharina Biller-Friedmann • Drs. Annegret und Bernd Kaspers • Edeltraud Thoma • Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bürklin • Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zwißler • Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Höppe und Prof. Dr. Gerhard Berz • Prof. Dr. Heinrich Steinlein • Sabine Wirsing und Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Martin Wirsing
Ein weiterer Dank gilt den vielen Spenderinnen und Spendern des Deutschlandstipendiums, die anonym bleiben wollen