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The German Neuroscience Society (Neurowissenschaftliche Gesellschaft, NWG) has opened applications for the 2027 Schilling Research Award, a €20,000 prize recognising outstanding achievements in brain research by early-career scientists. Nominations and self-nominations are being accepted now, with a submission deadline of 15 October 2026.
Awarded biennially in odd years, the Schilling Research Award is one of the NWG’s flagship honors, presented since 2005 to researchers whose work has meaningfully advanced the understanding of the nervous system. The 2027 recipient will be announced and will deliver a lecture at the 17th Göttingen Meeting of the NWG, held 17–19 March 2027.
What the Schilling Research Award recognises
The award targets scientists within five years of completing their doctoral thesis (individual circumstances are considered in line with DFG — German Research Foundation — regulations), whose research is documented by strong publications. Applicants do not need to be NWG members, and the call is open to all areas of neuroscience — from molecular and cellular research through to cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Candidates should either work in a German laboratory or be a German researcher based abroad.
Meet the 2025 Laureates
The most recent award, presented in 2025, went to two researchers whose work illustrates the breadth of neuroscience the prize celebrates:
Diane Rekow, a post-doctoral researcher and Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Hamburg’s Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology lab, was recognized for her work in developmental cognitive neuroscience. Her research showed that maternal body odor enhances face-selective visual responses in infants and shapes early visual development — with the olfactory-visual interaction for faces found to weaken as children age.
Lukas Kunz, Junior Professor and Research Group Leader in the Department of Epileptology at University Hospital Bonn, was honored for his work in spatial navigation and memory. Using single-neuron recordings in epilepsy patients, Kunz’s research revealed how neurons encode spatial information and identified links between Alzheimer’s disease risk and altered brain activity during spatial navigation tasks.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
Applicants — or those nominating a candidate — must submit a single PDF containing:
- A CV, no longer than one page
- A full list of publications
- A summary of the research and its impact, no longer than two pages
- A list of potential recommenders
Complete applications should be sent to korthals@mdc-berlin.de by 15 October 2026. Both self-nominations and third-party nominations are welcome.
About the NWG
The German Neuroscience Society is one of Germany’s leading professional bodies for brain research, spanning basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience. Alongside the Schilling Research Award, the NWG organizes the biennial Göttingen Meeting and takes part in the FENS Forum, runs a youth division (Young GNS / jNWG) for emerging researchers, and supports the field through grants, workshops, and professional development programs. Its stated aim is to foster innovation, inspire the next generation of neuroscientists, and strengthen the wider neuroscience community.
Further Reading
- Schilling Research Award — official award page
- 2025 Laureates — Diane Rekow and Lukas Kunz
- German Neuroscience Society (NWG)
Sources: nwg-info.de (Schilling Research Award page and 2025 laureates page), nwg-info.de/en (NWG homepage). Figures and dates verified against the official NWG website as of 21 August 2026 — reconfirm before publishing, as deadlines and details can change.
