December 25, 2025 — The International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI) has announced that Professor Helmut Schwarz, the distinguished German organic chemist and Professor of Chemistry at Technische University Berlin, has been awarded the IETI Annual Scientific Award in recognition of his foundational contributions to gas-phase ion chemistry and catalysis.

Professor Helmut Schwarz (born August 6, 1943, in Nickenich, Germany) is a leading figure in contemporary gas-phase catalysis research. He initially trained as a chemical technician before studying chemistry at Technische University Berlin, graduating in 1971, earning his PhD in 1972, and completing his Habilitation in 1974. He then conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Cambridge. Since 1978, he has been a professor at TU Berlin, focusing on quantifying reactive species in the gas phase to address fundamental problems in catalysis, significantly advancing metal-mediated bond activation, single-atom catalysis, and sustainable energy chemistry.Professor Schwarz's achievements are remarkable; he received the 2025 Wolf Prize in Chemistry and numerous other international honors, including the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award and the Otto Hahn Prize for Chemistry and Physics. He has also served as Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG), President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2010–2015), and President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2008–2017), promoting global scientific collaboration.Founded in 2015, IETI is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing innovations in engineering and technology worldwide, with members including multiple Nobel, Turing, and Fields Medal laureates. This award further recognizes Professor Schwarz's lifelong contributions to fundamental science.