Schaeffler Foundation Awards €18,000 to Six Young Researchers for Bearing Technology Innovations
Schaeffler's FAG Stiftung awarded six students and researchers a total of €18,000 for outstanding doctoral and master's theses in bearing technology and related fields at an event in Schweinfurt, Germany.
- 6
- €18,000
- over €1.3 million
What Happened
Schaeffler FAG Stiftung, the foundation of motion technology company Schaeffler, presented its Innovation Award to six young researchers on July 20, 2026, in Schweinfurt, Germany. The award recognizes outstanding doctoral and master's theses in bearing technology and adjacent fields, with a total prize purse of €18,000. The foundation has been supporting science and education in bearing technology for over 40 years and has granted more than €1.3 million since its establishment in 1983.
- Dr. Omid Safdarzadeh (TU Darmstadt) developed a physics-based model of electric current transfer in ball bearings to understand parasitic current damage.
- Dr. Volker Schneider (Leibniz Universität Hannover) researched electrical modeling of rolling bearing components to predict damage risks from current-related roughening.
- Dr. Nikolai Guba (Universität Bremen) created a method for detecting grinding burn during the grinding process of hardened steels, improving bearing manufacturing.
- Marius Oechslein (TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt) worked on automated data harmonization for better bearing validation.
- Max Pohlmann (FAU Nürnberg-Erlangen) analyzed electrical discharge elements in motors to minimize parasitic currents in electric drives.
- Dominik Stephan (TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt) explored non-destructive eddy current testing for condition assessment of bearing components.
“The awarded works impressively show how practice-oriented research and innovative methods help solve central challenges of modern drive systems and manufacturing processes. Particularly noteworthy is the high relevance for industrial applications – from electromobility to wind energy to more efficient production.”
€18,000euros
awarded to six researchers
Why this matters
The awards highlight Schaeffler's commitment to advancing bearing technology, which is critical for electric vehicles, wind energy, and industrial machinery. By funding young researchers, the company supports innovations that could improve efficiency and reliability in motion technology, benefiting both Schaeffler's products and the broader manufacturing sector.
Terms in This Story
- Rolling bearing
- A bearing that uses rolling elements such as balls or rollers to reduce friction between moving parts.
- Grinding burn
- Thermal damage to a workpiece surface caused by excessive heat during grinding, which can affect material properties.
- Eddy current testing
- A non-destructive testing method that uses electromagnetic induction to detect surface and subsurface defects in conductive materials.
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