Zeiss SMT and Trumpf were jointly honored with the Reinhard von Koenig Prize for Technology and Progress for their pioneering work in the development of high-NA-EUV lithography and its industrial application.
Dr. Peter Kürz, Zeiss, and Dr. Michael Kösters, Trumpf, accepted the €10,000 prize on behalf of their teams on October 17, 2025 at Fachsenfeld Castle near Aalen. The prize is awarded every two years by the Schloss Fachsenfeld Foundation to individuals and companies who make a significant contribution to solving social challenges through innovation and technical courage. The award-winning process is a unique innovation that advances humanity and offers great development potential for artificial intelligence, for example. Technologically, the process is in the absolute top class.
Zeiss is donating its share of the prize money in the amount of €5,000 to the explorhino Science Center, which is located on the campus of Aalen University and aims to inspire children and young people from kindergarten to high school and beyond for science and technology - regardless of origin, gender, religion or financial means. Trumpf is donating its share of the prize money of €5,000 to the Förderverein Helfende Hände e.V., which is committed to helping socially disadvantaged people from the Stuttgart area.
