50 Years of the Jung Prize for Medicine:
Award-Winning Research That Changes Medicine
Since 1976, the Hamburg-based Jung Foundation for Science and Research has awarded the Jung Prize for Medicine. Currently endowed with 300,000 euros, it is among the most highly endowed medical awards in Europe. It honours researchers whose work has advanced human medicine in decisive ways and whose findings continue to have an impact far beyond the moment of recognition.
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, it becomes especially clear what the Jung Prize for Medicine stands for: research that changes the way we understand disease, opens up new possibilities in diagnostics and therapy, and shapes medical progress for the long term. Many of the honoured achievements initially emerged far from public attention. Yet it was precisely from these scientific breakthroughs that knowledge often grew which is now of central importance to medicine.
A particular strength of the Jung Prize lies in the freedom it provides. The prize money is awarded without any restrictions on how it must be used. This creates room for independent research, for new ways of thinking and for the courage to pursue unconventional paths. Especially in medicine, where new insights often require time, openness and persistence, this freedom is of great importance.
Many outstanding examples show just how far-reaching the impact of such research can be. Emmanuelle Charpentier was honoured for her work on the CRISPR-Cas9 method, which has opened up new avenues in the study and potential treatment of genetic diseases. Rolf Martin Zinkernagel is among the outstanding personalities honoured with the Jung Prize and is one of three recipients who later also received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Özlem Türeci was recognised for her research in the fields of immunology and mRNA technology, which has created new perspectives for prevention and therapy.
These examples show what has distinguished the Jung Prize for Medicine for five decades: it honours research not only for what it has already achieved, but also for what it makes possible. Fundamental knowledge becomes medical progress. Scientific curiosity leads to new paths in diagnostics, prevention and therapy. And long-term support generates impact that benefits people.
Looking back at 50 years of the Jung Prize for Medicine is therefore more than a retrospective. It is also a sign of appreciation for researchers who push boundaries through their work, make connections visible and help pave the way for the medicine of tomorrow.
An overview of the previous winners of the Jung Prize for Medicine can be found here.
Laureates 2025
