Research and Development
Living the pioneering spirit
Our company founders set out to advance the world with groundbreaking glass innovations, fueling science and inspiring progress in a huge range of industries. Our researchers and engineers carry on this tradition with great passion and motivation, always striving to stay one step ahead, driving glass innovations forward to advance sustainable breakthroughs.
Our Expertise
18th Otto Schott Research Award
The Otto Schott Research Award acknowledges exceptional scientific and technological achievements in the area of ground-breaking glass and materials science. Whether talented young scientists, seasoned researchers, or innovative thinkers: Let’s pave the way to a brighter future together.And the award goes to...
We are pleased to congratulate Prof. Setsuhisa Tanabe on the Otto Schott Research Award 2024. He is a remarkable figure in the scientific community involved in rare-earth doped glass, glass ceramic and ceramic materials. As a recognized leader in the international field of “active” doped optical materials he has maintained high visibility in his field of expertise for decades. With his extensive body of literature, he has proven an unparalleled scholarly and educational impact, both at his home institution of Kyoto University as well as across the community around the globe. The Otto Schott Research Award is a well-deserved addition to his list of accolades.
About the award
Innovation is in our DNA. So, every two years, excellent researchers are honored with the Otto Schott Research Award for their scientific and technological achievements in basic and applied research in the fields of glass, glass-ceramics or related special materials. The Ernst Abbe Fonds is granting the award, that has been set up by the Carl-Zeiss-Foundation together with SCHOTT and ZEISS. First presented in 1991, it recognizes outstanding scientific achievements in fundamental research and technology development of special materials, components, and systems for applications like optics and electronics, solar power, health, and living. It is also intended to encourage support for collaboration between science and industry. The Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft manages the Ernst Abbe Fonds, which is responsible for funding the endowment of 25,000 €. Past winners include experts from fields like physics and chemistry representing nations such as the United States, Japan, China, Germany, and various European countries. It is named after the founder of the SCHOTT AG Otto Schott, who is considered the inventor of modern glass technology. Borosilicate glass, one of his many inventions, has changed the world. Unlike any other invention, these products have influenced and, in some cases, even enabled the development of optics, the large-scale chemical industry, and people's everyday lives all over the world.
About the application and upcoming award ceremony
Application
If you are a young scientist or leading researcher and have an interesting scientific or technological achievement in one of the following fields (glass, glass-ceramics and related advanced materials), please do not hesitate to apply via the following link: Otto Schott Research Award.
Application criteria
Central criteria for the awarding of the prize are the candidate´s scientific activity in recent years, the quality and originality of his/her original scientific publications, and the extent how he/she has influenced the research field.
Award ceremony 2024
The OSA 2024 was presented in Incheon/Korea during the ICG (International Commission on Glass) Annual Meeting (August 25-28, 2024). The award ceremony was a part of the plenary session on August 26, 2024. Please find all information about the conference here: ICG 2024.
The jury
The Board of Trustees of the Ernst Abbe Fonds decides on the final awarding of the prize. Members of the Board of Trustees:
- Dr. Matthias Müller, SCHOTT AG, Chairman
- Dr. Michelangelo Masini, Carl Zeiss AG, Vice chairman
- Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek, Falling Walls Foundation
- Prof. Dr. Kathleen Richardson, University of Central Florida
- Prof. Dr. Christine Silberhorn, Paderborn University
- Prof. Dr. Tanguy Rouxel, University of Rennes
- Rainer Lüdtke, Stifterverband for German Science
