Prof. Dr. Horst Ohnsorge passed away on May 6, 2018, at the age of 84. He headed the institute from 1974 to 1980. During this time, the form of financing as well as the focus of research changed fundamentally.
For the transformation into a limited liability company (GmbH), a consortium agreement was signed between the two parties on December 13, 1974, which stipulated the establishment of the “Heinrich Hertz Institute for Telecommunications Berlin GmbH”. Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany each invested DM 25.000 to provide the required capital stock for the limited liability company. Besides that, also the research focus changed during Ohnsorges’ time as executive director of HHI. While the research at the Heinrich Hertz Institute was focused primarily on electrical, acoustic and mechanical oscillation in recent decades, researchers have concentrated increasingly on modern telecommunications technology since 1975.
We thank Horst Ohnsorge for his earnings as executive director in that time and mourn with the family.