At TRON, we are saddened by the passing of our Supervisory Board member, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ernst Theodor Rietschel, who died on October 20, 2026, at the age of 85.

Ernst Rietschel had been a member of the Supervisory Board of TRON gGmbH and Chair of the Scientific Committee since 2019. In these roles, he supported TRON’s work and development with great expertise and personal dedication. We particularly valued his calm and level-headed manner, his extensive experience, and his consistently reliable advice.

His support for TRON was particularly valuable during the challenging years of 2020 and 2021, while the Comirnaty vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 was being developed. With his vision and strong sense of responsibility, he guided key decisions and contributed to our organization's success.

Ernst Rietschel was born on May 21, 1941, in Gießen. He studied chemistry in Munich and Freiburg and received his doctorate in Freiburg in 1971. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota and his return to Germany to the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology in Freiburg, he completed his habilitation in biochemistry in 1978. In 1980, the Lübeck Medical University appointed him to a C4 professorship in “Immunochemistry and Biochemical Microbiology,” a position that included the directorship of what was then the Borstel Research Institute. Ernst Rietschel held this position for 25 years, until 2005. Between 2005 and 2010, Ernst Rietschel served as president of the Leibniz Association and, during his tenure, laid the groundwork for the modernization of research funding in Germany. He subsequently remained active in research policy—both as the EU representative for the German Academy of Science and Engineering and as the founding director of the Berlin Institute of Health.

With the passing of Ernst Rietschel, we mourn the loss of an internationally renowned scientist, a wise advisor, and a person who was closely connected to TRON. We are deeply grateful to him for his trusting collaboration and his many years of dedication.

We will remember Ernst Rietschel with respect and fondness. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife and family.