The Order of Merit, also known colloquially as the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the highest award given by the Federal Republic of Germany for services to the common good. It is awarded for outstanding political, economic and social achievements. On behalf of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Dr. Sascha Dewender, Mayor of the City of Bochum, presented the award to Prof. Eckhard Weidner at Bochum City Hall.

Weidner headed the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT from 2004 to 2022 and also held the Chair of Process Engineering Transport Processes (VTP) at Ruhr University Bochum. He promoted close collaboration between the institute and the chair, which is being continued by the current institute management.

For Eckhard Weidner, the award is a special recognition: "Teamwork and positive, respectful cooperation have always been particularly important to me. Success in science is never the work of an individual, but the result of joint efforts and collective intelligence. This Cross of Merit therefore also belongs to my great team and all my companions along the way. My sincere thanks go to them."

Under his leadership, Fraunhofer UMSICHT developed from an institute that had focused on aftercare environmental protection since its foundation in 1990 into a pioneer in sustainable development. Weidner's conviction that improving people's quality of life and protecting resources are closely linked characterizes the institute's strategic orientation.

Sustainability established at Fraunhofer

In 2008, Weidner initiated the first sustainability report by a non-university research institution in Germany. He founded the Fraunhofer Sustainability Network and firmly anchored the topic within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. He used his excellent network within the society to drive the sustainability agenda forward. Since 2018, he has headed the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE with six core institutes and was spokesperson for the newly founded Fraunhofer Group for Resource Technologies and Bioeconomy from the beginning of 2021.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT's clear focus on sustainability is reflected in the strategy updated in 2020, which is based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations – in particular SDG 7 ("Affordable and Clean Energy") and SDG 12 ("Responsible Consumption and Production"). The vision "Fraunhofer UMSICHT is pioneering the way to a sustainable world" has shaped the internal and external orientation of the institute ever since.

Weidner provided impetus for the topic of "Circular Economy", which promotes the closing of energy and material cycles for the sustainable conservation of resources and has defined the institute's research focus as one of four focus topics since 2022.

Promotion of young talent

One of Eckhard Weidner's central concerns is to get young people interested in environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainability at an early age. He is committed to supporting their efforts to actively contribute to a sustainable world.

To inspire schoolchildren to study engineering, he took part in programs such as "Lecturers in Schools", raising awareness of sustainability issues among many young people. At his VTP Chair, he pursued the goal of "improving people's lives at full speed". His chair stands for innovative technologies and resource-saving processes that promote Sustainability. Using modern teaching methods, in particular research-based learning, he created an awareness of sustainable and responsible action among students. At Ruhr University Bochum, he supervised numerous diploma, bachelor's and master's theses, assessed 82 doctoral theses and guided 29 women to doctoral studies.

Through the close collaboration between the chair and the institute, Weidner bundled expertise and created synergies. For example, he was one of the initiators of the collaboration between Fraunhofer UMSICHT and the Closed Carbon Cycle Economy Research Department at Ruhr University Bochum, in which his chair is involved. His openness towards other disciplines and perspectives characterizes his work.

Sustainability is a common goal to which everyone must contribute. This attitude is reflected in the institute's numerous interdisciplinary cooperation projects, for example with the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen or the Folkwang University of the Arts, which he has always supported. He also promoted participatory and citizen science projects in order to take diverse perspectives into account in research and anchor the topic of sustainability in society.

His commitment to sustainability did not end with the end of his service. He is also involved in social and cultural projects in his private life, particularly as a member of the Rotary Club Bochum-Hellweg.

"We congratulate Eckhard Weidner on the recognition of his leadership roles at Fraunhofer UMSICHT and his chair at Ruhr University Bochum in the development of sustainable processes and systems," says Prof. Manfred Renner, who currently heads the institute together with Prof. Christian Doetsch. "His commitment to sustainable technologies characterizes the institute and the 'spirit' of our employees," adds Christian Doetsch.

The entire team at Fraunhofer UMSICHT would like to congratulate Eckhard Weidner.