BioNTech founders to receive top German honor

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will honor scientists Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci with the country's Order of Merit for their work, his office announced.

Steinmeier will personally present the Federal Republic's Great Cross with Star to Şahin and Türeci at a ceremony which will be held at the Bellevue Palace next month.

"Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin has successfully translated their medical research into practice," a statement by the presidential office said in a statement.

"Thanks to their globally recognized competence in the field of mRNA technologies and their tireless efforts, they have succeeded in developing a vaccine against COVID-19 and receiving authorization for its use within a very short time. They have made a decisive contribution to containing the coronavirus pandemic."

The Great Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is one of the country's most prominent honors to pay tribute to the individuals for their services to the nation.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be among the attendees of the ceremony on March 19, according to the presidential statement.

Both Şahin and Türeci were born to immigrant parents from Turkey who moved to Germany in the 1960s.

The pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which Şahin and Türeci founded in 2008, managed to develop the world's first effective coronavirus vaccine together with its American partner Pfizer.