- 1925
Else Fernau Anfang der 1930er Jahre inmitten der Pflanzenzucht von Dr. Fresenius in Schmitten. 1916 ließ er dort ein Jagd- und Ferienhaus errichten. Das Gebäude diente ihm sowohl als Gerätehaus als auch als Rückzugsort.(© EKFS)Unsere Stifterin wird als Else Fernau am 15. Mai 1925 in Frankfurt am Main geboren. Ihre Mutter Therese Fernau ist Haushälterin im Hause des Apothekers Dr. Eduard Fresenius, wo sie mit ihrem Mann und ihrer Tochter Else eine Dachgeschosswohnung bewohnt.
- 1929
Else mit ihrem „Onkel Doktor“ und Hund beim Jagdhaus in Schmitten, 1931.(© EKFS)Else Fernau’s father dies on March 27, 1929. After his death she continues to live with her mother at the Fresenius couple’s home.
Dr. Eduard Fresenius is the proprietor of the Hirsch-Apotheke pharmacy in Frankfurt am Main and founder of the company “Dr. Eduard Fresenius Chemisch-pharmazeutische Industrie KG” in Bad Homburg. He and his wife, Else Fresenius, look after Else Fernau as if she were their own daughter.
- 1944
Blick in die Hirsch-Apotheke im Jahre 1910. 1906 hatte Dr. Eduard Fresenius die Apotheke von seinem Vater übernommen.(© EKFS)Else Fernau successfully passes her German A-level exams in 1943. Like all high-school graduates, she is subsequently obligated to serve with the German Reich Labor Service (“RAD”). In 1944 she begins a two-year internship at the Hirsch-Apotheke pharmacy. That same year Dr. Eduard Fresenius’s wife Else passes away.
- 1946
Else Fernau in jungen Jahren (ca. 1940er).(© EKFS)Dr. Eduard Fresenius dies in February.
Else Fernau is joint heir to the Hirsch-Apotheke pharmacy, which was destroyed during the war, and to the firm “Dr. Eduard Fresenius Chemisch-pharmazeutische Industrie KG”, which only had few men and women on staff left at the time.
In the 1946/1947 winter semester Else Fernau begins her university pharmacy studies in Mainz.
- 1950
Während ihres Studiums arbeitete Else Fernau in der Hirsch-Apotheke. Um 1950.(© EKFS)Following a transfer to the University of Erlangen, Else Fernau takes her exams for a degree in Pharmacy there in 1950.
- 1952
Else Fernau in Schmitten im Jahr 1955(© EKFS)Else Fernau runs the Hirsch-Apotheke pharmacy and the chemical-pharmaceutical company* (later on Fresenius). Little by little she focuses more on the company. She ultimately hands over managing the pharmacy to a colleague.
In the early 1950s she becomes acquainted with Dr. Hans Kröner, an economist and lawyer from Munich. She consults him more and more often on legal issues and with regard to business matters.
* For simplification, referred to as “Fresenius” as of this year.
- 1964
In the mid-1950s Else Fernau and Dr. Hans Kröner get to know each other better. In 1964 they get married in Frankfurt am Main.
- 1966
Fresenius takes over the sales and distribution of dialysis machines and dialyzers made by various foreign firms and gains significant shares of the market.
- 1974
Else und Hans Kröner bei der Werkbesichtigung in St. Wendel 1974 mit führenden Persönlichkeiten aus Politik und Wirtschaft. Links der damalige Bundeswirtschaftsminister Hans Friderichs, daneben der saarländische Ministerpräsident Franz Josef Röder.(© EKFS)Fresenius begins with the manufacturing of infusion solutions and medical-grade plastic products in St. Wendel in the state of Saarland. Today Fresenius Medical Care produces state-of-the-art polysulfone dialyzers in St. Wendel.
- 1979
Fresenius commences production of the A2008 dialysis machine at a newly acquired factory in Schweinfurt. The A2008 is awarded a gold medal at the Leipzig Trade Fair.
- 1982
Fresenius is converted into a German stock corporation. The chair of the Supervisory Board is assumed by Else Kröner.
- 1983
Else Kröner etwa im Jahr 1983(© EKFS)On May 19, 1983, the non-profit foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung receives approval from the government’s district president in Darmstadt. With a capital stock of merely DM 50,000 at first, in its early days the foundation’s opportunities for funding are extremely limited. That’s why Else and Dr. Hans Kröner initially support only smaller-scale research projects referred to them by their large circle of acquaintances.
- 1988
Das Ehepaar Kröner bei einer Besichtigung des Werks Schweinfurt im Mai 1988.(© EKFS)Else Kröner dies unexpectedly on June 5, 1988.
As per the last will and testament, her entire estate is thus passed on to Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung. The foundation enters a new phase, administratively and financially. Dr. Hans Kröner and Dr. Alfred Stiefenhofer, the executors appointed by Else Kröner, now head the foundation, whereby Dr. Hans Kröner represents the central figure behind Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung during the years of consolidation. Until shortly before his death in 2006 he shapes the foundation in the sense intended by his late wife.
- 1991
The foundation begins to develop wide-ranging instruments for funding as the financial possibilities for the foundation grow in the early 1990s together with the economic prosperity of the Fresenius corporate group. Prizes for medical research are offered at first.
- 2005
Commencement of institutional funding: The first Else Kröner Fresenius Center is founded.
- 2010
Research fellowships for physicians are added along with innovative funding mechanisms in university-level medicine, for example the graduate research programs launched in 2010.
The Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine is presented for the first time to acknowledge special achievements in this sector.
- 2013
v.l.n.r. Dr. Dieter Schenk, Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Schuster, Bundesforschungsministerin Johanna Wanka, Preisträger Prof. Ruslan Medzhitov, Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, PD Dr. Susanne Schultz-Hector, Prof. Dr. Stefan Endres(© CB.e Clausecker / Bingel AG)The first presentation of the Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research takes place to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Else Kröner’s death – one of the most highly endowed prizes for medical research worldwide.
- 2016
The Funding Line Hospital Partnerships – Partners Strengthen Health is initiated together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
- 2019
The Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health is founded in Dresden.
Film: Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Digitale Gesundheit(© EKFS) - 2019
First call for proposals for Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Professorships in order to improve the compatibility of clinical activity and research for medical practitioners.
- 2021
The special call for proposals toward preventing droplet infections is initiated in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ideen gegen die nächste Pandemie(© EKFS)Inauguration of the Else Kröner Center Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Else Kröner Center Würzburg in Mwanza, Tanzania.
Purchase of the Villa Victoria as new foundation headquarters in Bad Homburg v.d.H. The planning phase for remodeling begins.
- 2022
The Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Nephrology Research is founded in 2022.
- 2023
Else Kröner Wiedereinstiegsförderung für forschende Ärztinnen und Ärzte(© EKFS)The foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung turns 40. Up to this time roughly 2,400 projects involving a total volume of 580 million euros have been funded.
A call for applications for the Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Return-To-Work Grant is announced for the first time. It is intended to support reentry in the profession following a family-related time-out.
- 2024
The Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies is inaugurated in Göttingen in 2024.
Film zum Else Kröner Fresenius Zentrum für Optogenetische Therapien(© EKFS)
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