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Logo Universität Bayreuth

Simon-Nüssel-Foundation

Increasing the focus on the research areas of agriculture and nutrition: That has been the goal of the Simon Nüssel Foundation since its establishment in 2000. The Foundation was initiated in cooperation with the University of Bayreuth by former Bavarian Minister of Agriculture Simon Nüssel, its namesake.

To this day, the Foundation provides financial resources to support research projects in the fields of nutrition and agriculture as well, as the publication of new research results in various publications. In doing so, the Upper Franconia region is given special attention. Practitioners in the field and in industry are to be provided with new approaches, for example in the cultivation of crops or in the area of "renewable raw materials".

In order to support research at the University of Bayreuth, the Foundation provides funds for a wide variety of projects. Since 2002, one project per year, as a rule, has been supported with funds of up to € 5,000.

About Simon Nüssel

Simon Nüssel

Simon Nüssel was born on 20 January 1924 in Rimlas near Bad Berneck in Upper Franconia. 

Nüssel made a career as a politician in the Bavarian State Parliament. From 1954 to 1958 he sat in the Bavarian Parliament for the Bavarian Party, and from 1959 to 1994 for the CSU. In 1970, he became State Secretary in the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture. From 1987 to 1990 he was Bavarian State Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forestry. 

In the Upper Franconia region, he worked tirelessly on behalf of farmers and promoted research on agriculture and nutrition. In these endeavours, he founded the Simon Nüssel Foundation in 2000.

In recognition of his outstanding services to the University of Bayreuth, Simon Nüssel was awarded the honorary senatorship of the University of Bayreuth in 1981.

On 17 November 2015, Simon Nüssel passed away at the age of 91. 

Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, Präsident der Universität Bayreuth
What distinguished Simon Nüssel above all was his absolutely tireless commitment to our region – and with it his dedication to the University of Bayreuth. From the very beginning, Simon Nüssel worked very persistently and very successfully for the foundation of a university in the then Upper Franconian border area. For he recognised early on, the inestimably high value a university would have for regional development. Recognising potential and naming it unequivocally – that was his motto; he lived by it. For the University of Bayreuth, his death means the painful loss of a highly respected friend and supporter who not only played a decisive role in our foundation, but also supported us throughout his lifetime.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, President of the University of Bayreuth

Board and Management of the Simon Nüssel Foundation

The board of the Simon Nüssel Foundation consists of three members: the President of the University of Bayreuth as chair, and two professors of the University of Bayreuth from the fields of food law and life sciences, who deal with questions of nutrition, the development of new foods, food law, and renewable energies. The management and administration of the foundation is the responsibility of VR-Bank Bayreuth-Hof.

Current board

  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, President of the University of Bayreuth (Chair)

  • Prof. Dr. Markus Möstl, Public Law II – Public Law & Economic Law
  • Prof. Dr. Stephan Clemens, Plant Physiology
  • Wolfgang Wendler, VR Bank Bayreuth-Hof (executive board)

Submit a project proposal

Are you researching, doing a doctorate, or studying at the University of Bayreuth and working on a research project in the field of agriculture and nutrition? Perhaps your project is eligible for funding.

The project application should briefly outline which project it is, how it relates to the topics of agriculture and nutrition (preferably in relation to the Upper Franconia region), and how much funding is being requested.

Current call for proposals

Please send an informal project application to:

Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible, Präsident der Universität Bayreuth

Professor Dr. Stefan LeiblePresident of the University of Bayreuth

c./o. Daniela Passing 
Secretary to the President of the University of Bayreuth
Universitätsstr. 30 / ZUV
95447 Bayreuth

Phone: +49 (0)921 / 55-5201
E-mail: daniela.passing@uni-bayreuth.de

Webmaster: onlineredaktion@uni-bayreuth.de