On receiving the award in Darmstadt on April 16^th, Dr Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Management Board of Schott AG, paid tribute to the close partnerships with national institutes and companies in his acceptance speech – also in recognition of the value of these partnerships for maintaining Germany’s position as a leading research and technology nation.

The unique material – half as thick as a human hair at only 25 µm – combines stability with flexibility and promises a wide range of applications: Pliant and malleable touchscreens that are near-shatterproof, or improved fingerprint recognition for smartphone encryption with much thinner scanner glass. On top of these visible and touchable applications, the new material paves the way for new technology under the surface, as ultra-thin glass has great potential for traditional semiconductor technology or novel battery solutions.

We congratulate Schott AG on its achievement and are looking forward to continuing our productive partnership!