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This prize honors extraordinary engagement for the Max Planck Society and is awarded by the President of the MPG.
Max Planck President Patrick Cramer honored the Communitas Prize Awardees 2026 during the meeting of the Scientific Comitee in the Harnack House in Berlin. From left to right: Lothar Willmitzer, Heinz Wässle, Patrick Cramer, Regine Kahmann, Thomas Frohmader. Picture: Christiane Grimm, MPG. Laudatio from MPG President Patrick Cramer: Thomas Frohmader has been the master craftsman for heating, ventilation, air condition-ing, and plumbing at our Stuttgart Campus. Thomas has been essential to research at two institutes. Beyond mainte-nance, he innovates for reliability and efficiency, slashing energy costs and aiding climate protection. He explains changes, documents results, earns scientists' respect, and shares expertise across institutes—earning a seat on the Advisory Committee on Energy and Climate, where he advises us on the Climate Action Plan.
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