August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818–1892) was the founding president of the first German chemical society and the namesake of the GDCh Foundation.

The Foundation’s capital comes from a GDCh member who died in 2010 and bequeathed a substantial part of their estate to the GDCh for a specific purpose. They stipulated that, after their death, their estate should be used to support chemistry students. The August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation awards scholarships to students studying chemistry or related subjects on bachelor’s, diploma or state examination courses.

August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Scholarships

The conditions in detail:

• The August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation supports students of chemistry and related disciplines (approx. 55% (100 out of 180 ECP) chemistry modules) and students training to teach chemistry in the fourth to sixth semesters of their Bachelor's, Diplom or state examination degree with a grant of €300 per month. The grant runs for 18 or 12 months, totalling €5,400 or €3,600. The grant cannot be extended.
• Students can apply in the third or fourth semester of their Bachelor's, Diplom or state examination degree. The grant is paid from April until and including September of the following year.
• You must send your application to the chair of the local section responsible for your region or to the regional JCF (JungesChemieForum). Complete the Online application form and attach your personal statement, CV and university transcript of academic results. A university lecturer must then upload the reference letter.
• Only two applications from each local section can be forwarded to the Foundation Board. If more than two applications are submitted, the chair of the local section and the regional JCF (JungesChemieForum) spokesperson will make a preselection.
• The Foundation Board receives the nominations and decides in March who will receive a grant. Successful applicants are notified immediately afterwards. Payments begin at the end of April.
• Around 20 grants are awarded in total.
• Ability, academic performance and the applicant's financial circumstances are selection criteria for the Foundation Board. Its decisions are final. The Foundation Board includes the current GDCh President, the GDCh Treasurer and the GDCh Executive Director. The GDCh Board appoints four additional members. The JCF (JungesChemieForum) has the right to nominate one of these four members.

Important! The grant is not taken into account when calculating BAföG benefits, but it cannot be combined with other merit-based financial support from organisations that promote gifted students.

Prof. Dr. Ruth Bieringer, Freudenberg FST GmbH, GDCh President 2026/27 (Chair)
Prof. Dr. Annette Gabriele Beck-Sickinger, Leipzig University
André-Marcel Weßeling, JCF Cologne
Dr. Tom Kinzel, GDCh Executive Director
Dr. Christian-Hubertus Küchenthal, Berthold Technologies
Dr. Kerstin Schierle-Arndt, BASF SE
Dr. Franz von Nussbaum, Nuvisan ICB GmbH