After training to be a businessman, Otto works as a traveling salesperson in Cologne from 1853, and starts to delve into the world of internal combustion engine technology.
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The engine manufacturer DEUTZ has presented the prestigious Nicolaus August Otto Award for the sixth time. The engine manufacturer’s innovation prize is named for the inventor of the four-stroke engine and founder of the company that would later become DEUTZ AG.
In DEUTZ's anniversary year, the award ceremony took place on May 3, 2024 as part of the celebrations to mark the 160th anniversary of the Cologne-based company.
THE AWARD
For 160 years, DEUTZ AG has stood for unsurpassed drive technology, which is why it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of groundbreaking drive systems today. Founded by the pioneer and coinventor of the four-stroke principle, Nicolaus August Otto, the traditional Cologne-based company has succeeded in constantly reinventing itself and meeting the challenges posed by changing factors with innovative strength.
By awarding the Nicolaus August Otto Award, named after its founder, DEUTZ AG aims to herald a symbolic renaissance of innovation and pioneering spirit. This is why the Nicolaus August Otto Award is awarded for decisive shaping of the future, novel technology, groundbreaking futurology, and for an outstanding lifetime achievement. It is intended to honor visionaries of our time and, endowed with prize money of €30,000, to promote the prize winners’ new, big ideas.
The commendation speech for this year's awardee was given by Jan-Hendrik Mohr, CEO of the CLAAS Group. CLAAS is a family business founded in 1913 and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of agricultural engineering equipment.
NICOLAUS AUGUST OTTO
1853
1862
Otto starts to test a four-stroke engine he had built himself, which did not, however, lead to the intended success he had wished for due to the explosive nature of the fuel.
1864
Otto gives up his job as a traveling salesperson and founds N.A.Otto & Cie. (DEUTZ AG today) together with the engineer and sugar manufacturer Eugen Langen – the first factory in the world dedicated exclusively to the production of internal combustion engines.
1867
An atmospheric gas engine developed by Otto and Langen is awarded the gold medal at the world’s fair in Paris for being the most economical engine for small businesses.
1876
Otto completes the four-stroke engine with compressed charge, which can be used for all types of fuel and applications.
1882
Otto receives an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Würzburg together with Bell, the inventor of the telephone.
1890er
Otto ends his work on the internal combustion engine with the development of the magneto-electric low-voltage ignition, the prerequisite for internal combustion engines that are independent of the gas network.
1891
Otto dies on January 26, in Cologne at the age of 59. At Cologne’s Melaten cemetery, a grave of honor commemorates the inventor of the four-stroke principle today.
1996
As part of the USA’s celebrations of the 100th anniversary of its automobile history, Otto is inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit together with Wilhelm Maybach.
2019
The Nicolaus August Otto Award is awarded for the first time.
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The award winner 2024
In its anniversary year, DEUTZ AG presented its coveted innovation award to Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer-Kreer from the Institute for Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Agriculture at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
The Nicolaus August Otto Award honors people who ensure that innovation, technological progress and change happen that help everyone move forward. As Professor of Entrepreneurial Behavior, Prof. Dr. Fischer-Kreer does just that.
She teaches the most important skill needed to turn theory into practice: confidence in your own abilities. And entrepreneurship. Because to solve the challenges of our time – especially in agriculture, which is facing a major transformation – we need a new generation of doers: Courageous visionaries who want to bring about changes. And who can deal with setbacks, because they are to be expected if you want to bring about sustainable and lasting change.
Prof. Dr. Fischer-Kreer shares exactelly this drive with Nicolaus August Otto. As a trained businessman, he wanted to change things. To improve them. And he did not stop at the limits of his profession - he went beyond them. He believed in his idea – his development – he looked for partners, founded and built a company that turned the idea, the vision, into a new reality that changed the whole world.
