Degussa AG of Dusseldorf,
Germany, is endowing Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt on Main with a Professorship in Organic Synthetic Methods. The respective agreement was signed today by Dr. Alfred Oberholz,
Degussa Management Board Member, and responsible for
Research and Development, and Prof. Rudolf Steinberg, President of Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt on Main.
As Dr. Oberholz stated: "Since Degussa is a
specialty chemicals company, innovation is a crucial aspect of our entrepreneurial success. Accordingly, we are not only interested in recruiting highly-qualified young chemists but also wish to foster outstanding up-and-coming scientists while they are still at university."
Degussa will be supporting the new C3-professorship with over Euro1.6 million in funds for a period of five years. The professorship is to be filled as of the 2003/2004 winter semester, and the university has covenanted to continue its
financing after the endowment contract expires.
In endowing this professorship, Degussa wishes to contribute to the development and use of synthetic methods of solving chemical, biological and
physics problems. The target group consists of undergraduates studying in the
chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences departments, and the aim of the measure is to provide them with fundamental and specialized knowledge of organic synthetic methods in practical areas of study. The main emphasis will be placed on the development and use of synthetic approaches to solving problems as required by
chemical industry companies.
The new endowment professorship is the latest to be undertaken by Degussa in an extensive range of measures concerned with furthering the sciences. In the area of university teaching, the company has already endowed a professorship in business administration and a professorship in occupational epidemiology at Münster University, and a chair for biomolecular
food technology and a chair for construction
chemicals at Munich Technical University.