25.03.2010: Mainz - "CITY OF SCIENCE 2011"

Stimulus for a profound interaction between the city and the sciences

The title is "Mainz - Passionately Scientific. A City Landscape Full of Creativity." The state capital Mainz, along with the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE, has combined more than 500 project ideas into one concept and presented them today in Berlin at the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany. Mainz won the coveted title, "City of Science" for the year 2011, in a final competition against Bielefeld and Chemnitz. The title is combined with EUR 250,000 in prize money for the state capital.

"Having won this title, we can now implement our ideas," rejoiced Jens Beutel, Mayor of Mainz, who presented the application of the state capital jointly with Professor Georg Krausch, President of Johannes Gutenberg University, Dr. Özlem Türeci, the Managing Director of Ganymed, and Gundula Gause, ZDF moderator. More than 30 representatives from science, culture and business had supported the Mainz application at the Deutsche Bank Forum in Berlin.

The decision of the Donors' Association was greeted with applause. "We embarked on this application process with enthusiasm and we will continue this enthusiasm in the implementation of our plans," confirmed Mayor Beutel, thanking all participants for their efforts and support. "Naturally, we welcome all who want to contribute in the future."

Doris Ahnen, the State Minister of Education, Science, Youth, and Culture, also offered her congratulations: "This is a major and well-deserved success for all the participants who used extraordinary commitment to produce an outstanding application. The city of Mainz has, therefore, shown that it occupies an important place on the scientific map of Germany at a national level. I am absolutely convinced that many good ideas and concepts will breathe life into the spirit of optimism that this award brings. The state capital Mainz has a promising future as a science city!"

Professor Georg Krausch, the President of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and spokesman of the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE, said, "The title is our impetus for a profound interaction between the city and the sciences with the explicit goal of achieving sustainable improvement in the living conditions of all segments of the population. We want to use the knowledge generated by Mainz universities and science institutions for the benefit of the city and the population. We want to establish a network and create structures and activities that will have a sustainable effect far beyond the year 2011. The state capital Mainz has found a strong partner in the MAINZ RESEARCH ALLIANCE."
 

Background information

The Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany will hold its competition for the "City of Science" this year for the sixth time. The title is awarded exclusively for one year and is combined with EUR 250,000 in prize money. The award is given to cities that perceive science as an engine of city development, who want to make their residents passionate about science and who create new links between science, the economy, culture, and the city administration.

In the first round of the application process during November of last year, Mainz managed to convince a high-caliber jury of 18 representatives from science, industry, media, and regional politics of its concept for a city of science. Since then, the people involved have worked under high pressure to develop their ideas and compile a full 25-page application.