History of the Heinrich Wieland Prize
From the 1950s, the need to change food intake with respect to the lipid metabolism became evident in scientific research. Margarine as a favourable basic element in nutrition became increasingly important and the Margarine Institute endowed the Heinrich Wieland Prize in 1963 in order to support research in the field of lipids.
The board of trustees which elected the annual prizewinner first was headed by Prof. Konrad Lang, the Nestor of nutrition physiology in Germany. From 1977 to 1995, Prof. Theodor Wieland, a son of Heinrich Wieland, led the award committee. He was succeeded by Prof. Nepomuk Zöllner, who headed the Board of Trustees from 1996 - 2006.
In 2006, Prof. Konrad Sandhoff became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
In 1989, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Heinrich Wieland Prize, a Heinrich Wieland "Medal in Gold" was endowed which can be awarded by the trustees to especially honour the lifework of a scientist.
The outstanding reputation the prize enjoys is reflected in the list of the prize winners which shows a large number of world-renowned scientists. The Heinrich Wieland prizewinners from 1974, Michael S. Brown and Joseph L. Goldstein from Dallas, Texas/ USA, in 1985 received the Nobel Prize in medicine. Bengt Samuelsson from Stockholm/ Sweden, the Heinrich Wieland prizewinner in 1981, was shortly after awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine.
In 2000, the Margarine Institute ended its sponsorship of the Heinrich Wieland Prize and the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim became the new sponsor.
In the early 20th century, Boehringer Ingelheim and Heinrich Wieland had a joint history when Heinrich Wieland and his brother Hermann were involved in Boehringer Ingelheim’s initial steps in pharmaceutical research.
The current Board of Trustees and the sponsor may surely expect after the long and successful history of the Heinrich Wieland Prize that it will continue providing significant support to research in the field of the lipids and in parallel keeps the name of Heinrich Wieland alive.
