Professor Barner studied medicine at the University of Freiburg and math at ETH Zurich. In 1992 Prof. Barner joined Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH and is presently chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. He is a committee member of several top science institutions such as the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association. In June 2013 Andreas Barner became the President of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donor’s Association for the Promotion of Humanities and Sciences in Germany).