Sponsors

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Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation

The WE-Heraeus foundation was established in 1963 by Dr. Wilhelm Heinrich Heraeus (1900–1985) and his wife Else Heraeus (1903–1987). Wilhelm Heraeus was a grandson of the founder of the W. C. Heraeus GmbH in Hanau near Frankfurt/Main (today: Heraeus Holding GmbH). After gaining his PhD in physics at Frankfurt University in 1923, Wilhelm Heraeus entered the family business and was appointed R&D manager. Later on he became the managing director and a member of the board of directors. Since the 1970s, the foundation has been working closely with the German Physical Society (DPG). The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation is Germany’s most important private institution funding physics.

 

Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture

The Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (EMFCSC) is a scientific institution based in Erice, Sicily. It was founded in 1962 by Italian physicist Antonino Zichichi to promote advanced research and dialogue across scientific disciplines.

The Foundation held its first scientific programme in 1963 and has since grown into a hub for high-level academic exchange. Its primary activities take place in a group of historic buildings and former monastic complexes in Erice’s medieval centre, which now house the Foundation’s administrative offices, lecture halls and residential facilities.

Affiliated with Italy’s INFN, over 100 Nobel laureates have participated in its activities. The EMFCSC gained prominence during the Cold War by hosting scientists from both the Eastern Bloc and Western nations.