Drosophila eggs measure half a millimeter and are easily utilized by scientists. Drosophila also reproduces rapidly: a female fly lays up to 200 eggs over a period of 14 days. It only takes 22 hours before the first-stage larvae hatch. These are ideal conditions for researching the developmental mechanisms in Drosophila larvae. Politicians, not only in Berlin but also in the federal government, have recently become more involved in the debate on research funding in Germany. Improved co-operation between business and research institutions is demanded. This is exactly what the Ernst Schering Research Foundation is working towards. The Board of Trustees considers it particularly important to improve contacts between the various academic institutions and scientists working in industrial or applied research, both in Germany and abroad.

On September 22, 1993, Professor Dr. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, was awarded the Ernst Schering Prize, which carries an award of 75,000 DM. Professor Dr Manfred Erhardt, Senator for Science and Research in Berlin, presented the Prize at the Schauspielhaus Berlin. The Ernst Schering Research Foundation presented the prize for the second time. The prize is awarded annually to an outstanding scientist who undertakes to be available for a week to hold lectures, seminars or laboratory discussions in Berlin with interested research institutions.