The Bavarian government instituted this prize in 1999 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. It is named for former Bavarian secretary of state Hugo Geiger – patron of the inaugural assembly of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft on March 26, 1949. The Hugo Geiger Prize is awarded for outstanding, application-oriented doctoral theses or dissertations in the field of life sciences, or alternatively for methods or technologies in other scientific disciplines that are of practical use to the life sciences. The prizewinning papers are selected on the basis of scientific quality, industrial or economic relevance, novelty, and an interdisciplinary approach. The work must be directly related to a Fraunhofer Institute or have been written at one. This year, the first-placed winner will receive 3,000 euros in prize money, while the two runners-up will receive 2,000 euros each.