Prof. Manfred Curbach receives 2025 Nobel Sustainability Academic Award

The prestigious Sustainability Awards, which are presented by the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST) in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), are honouring two outstanding researchers from Germany and Canada as well as an international organization based in Australia this year.

The 2025 winners, who will share prize money totaling up to 1.3 million Swedish kronor, are Prof. Manfred Curbach of TU Dresden in the category "Leadership in the Implementation of Sustainability", Prof. Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph (category "Outstanding Research and Development in Biodiversity") and the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities (GOHSC, the category "Outstanding Research and Development for Smart and Sustainable Urban Solutions").

The award winners are recognized for their leadership and innovation in the implementation of sustainability measures. Their contributions include, in particular, the development of environmentally friendly carbon concrete, the introduction of DNA barcodes to catalog biodiversity and the establishment of a global monitoring system for healthier and more sustainable cities.

The scientific community at TUD Dresden University of Technology is delighted to announce that Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Curbach will receive the Nobel Sustainability Academic Award 2025 in the category "Leadership in the Implementation of Sustainability". The internationally renowned award honors his outstanding role as a pioneer of carbon-reinforced concrete, a sustainable alternative to conventional reinforced concrete. Carbon-reinforced concrete enables resource-efficient, lightweight and durable construction, is a game changer in the preservation and renovation of our built environment and thus makes a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions in the construction industry. In 2016, Prof. Curbach received the German Future Prize, which is awarded by the German Federal President, for this groundbreaking development.

For over three decades, Prof. Curbach has shaped the Institute of Concrete Structures at TU Dresden and, as a researcher, advanced the idea of fundamentally rethinking construction - making it lighter, more economical and more sustainable. With projects such as the "CUBE" carbon-reinforced concrete building on the TU Dresden campus, the world's first building made entirely of carbon-reinforced concrete, he impressively demonstrates how innovative research can be put directly into practice.

Award winner Prof. Manfred Curbach emphasizes: "It is an exceptionally high honor to receive this award from the Nobel Sustainability Trust. I am delighted and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the colleagues and employees with whom I have been able to develop carbon reinforced concrete to the point of application over the past 30 years. Without this large and international team, such an innovation in the construction industry would not have been possible. Thanks are also due in particular to TU Dresden, which has made continuous research possible by creating unique boundary conditions. The development of carbon reinforced concrete is also an example of the high-performance research and transfer landscape with all its federal and state sponsors. My and our thanks go to all of them."

"On Wednesday night, we were delighted to learn that our colleague Prof. Manfred Curbach had been awarded the Sustainability Academic Awardby the Nobel Sustainability Trust," says Prof. Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD. "This award recognizes his decades of commitment to sustainable construction and his groundbreaking research on ccarbon-reinforced concrete - a material that revolutionizes concrete, conserves resources, reduces CO2 emissions and sets new standards in environmentally friendly construction. We can now call one third of this 'little Nobel Prize' our own as TU Dresden - a strong sign of the international appeal and solution orientation of our research."

Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow: "I am delighted at the news of this extraordinary award for Professor Curbach and congratulate him warmly. Professor Curbach's pioneering ideas and research on sustainable building have been able to develop excellently under the supportive conditions at TU Dresden. For the Free State of Saxony, this Nobel Sustainability Academic Award is a confirmation of the long-term and in a targeted manner strategy for the capabilities of Saxony as a science location."

The awards will be presented at the 5th Summit of the Nobel Sustainability Trust on December 5, 2025 in Miami. The sustainability awards are open to individuals from science and industry as well as organizations and companies that are actively committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Awards for outstanding achievements

Peter Nobel, Chairman of the Nobel Sustainability Trust, said: "On behalf of the Nobel Sustainability Trust, I am honored to recognize the winners of the Sustainability Awards 2025. These awards highlight not only individual excellence, but also the power of innovation and collaboration in shaping a sustainable future. Our mission at NST is to promote solutions that mitigate climate change, advance clean technologies and create a livable environment for future generations. With the support of our partners, including the Technical University of Munich, we are proud to recognize achievements that inspire the world to act quickly and responsibly. I warmly congratulate the award winners and thank them for their outstanding contributions. Their efforts are paving the way for a future in which humanity can thrive in harmony with the planet."

Scientific contact person:
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Michael Molls
Director of the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS)
Technical University of Munich
+49.89.289.10555
molls.michael@tum.de

Contact for media:
TU Dresden
Press Office
Phone: +49 351 463 32398