Professor Gerd Litfin, member of the board of directors of Qioptiq, has been awarded the Cross of Merit, First Class, of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Christian Wulff. The award marks the outstanding achievements of the founder and former board chairman of the LINOS Group on behalf of Germany as a center for science and business. In addition, the honor expresses recognition and respect for his exemplary voluntary work in the social sphere and his extraordinary contribution to developing the next generation of scientists. The medal was presented on October 12, 2011 by Professor Annette Schavan, Federal Minister for Education and Research, at a ceremony in Berlin.

"Voluntary work specifically at the interface between science and business is important and it is an essential requirement of both entrepreneurs and scientists. I have always enjoyed my political consulting in particular and I am delighted that this work is being honored today", said Litfin.

In 2004 Litfin had already been awarded the Cross of Merit with Ribbon by the Federal President for his entrepreneurial work and for establishing the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Göttingen and supporting it over many years.