Christoph M. Schmidt elected president of the Leibniz Association

Economist Prof. Dr. Christoph M. Schmidt, member of the Humanities and Social Sciences Class of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, has been elected as the 8th president of the Leibniz Association. He will take office on July 1, 2026.

"Being elected president of the Leibniz Association is a great honor for me", said Schmidt after his election. "In my new role, I would like to further highlight the strength of the Leibniz Institutes in combining excellence in research with direct relevance to business, politics, and society. Together with my highly committed management team, the aim will be to establish our network as a reliable partner for breakthroughs in key technologies and innovations. It will be equally important to bring the process of scientific discovery closer to the general public—as a crucial prerequisite for social progress and the ability to actively shape change. After all, science should not only create knowledge, but can and should also provide guidance and impetus for the future".

Christoph M. Schmidt, born in 1962, received his doctorate from Princeton University (USA) and his habilitation from the University of Munich. Since 2002, he has been President of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research in Essen and holds a chair at the Ruhr University Bochum. From 2009 to 2020, he was a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, and since 2024 he has been a member of the Expert Commission for Research and Innovation (EFI). Christoph M. Schmidt is a member of several academies, including the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz.