Blood donation marathon: These student councils are participating in the Vampire Cup

The student council at Freie Universität Berlin has already published six posts on Instagram about the Vampire Cup. One video explains that 14,000 blood donations are needed daily in Germany for surgeries and treatments, and that there is currently no artificial substitute for blood . "With the Vampire Cup, we want to raise awareness of the importance of blood donations in our healthcare system," says Berfin Özbay of the student council in response to an inquiry from PZ.

In October, there were four blood donation events at the German Red Cross ( DRK ). There was also a competition among students: The first 50 donors could win a five-euro voucher. "We hope that this will raise awareness about blood donations , lay the foundation for further donations in the future, and make blood donation a routine in the lives of the participants."

According to Özbay, student council members had already noticed students discussing blood donation during their breaks at the university. "There were fewer of these kinds of conversations before the Vampire Cup."

Other student councils from Germany are also participating this year, including the student council at the University of Regensburg . They are also promoting the campaign on Instagram . From October 13th to 26th, interested parties had the opportunity to donate platelets or whole blood at the blood donation service of the Bavarian Red Cross ( BRK ) in Regensburg . In Erlangen, the blood donation took place on October 21st. For this event, the student council at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg cooperated with the BRK Erlangen-Höchstadt.

The Pharmacy Student Council at the University of Bonn is once again participating in cooperation with the blood donation service of the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and is calling on students and the public to donate blood . During the campaign period from October 16 to October 29, 2025, all blood donations at the UKB as part of the Vampire Cup Marathon will be recorded and credited to the Bonn Student Council . Appointments can be made via the UKB blood donation app, by phone, or by email.

"With the Vampire Cup, we want to show how easy it is to do something truly meaningful with a blood donation ," says Katharina Baulig from the Pharmacy Student Council , according to a university press release. "Every single donation can save lives – and that's precisely what motivates us every year." The Bonn Pharmacy Student Council has been participating in the nationwide Vampire Cup for eleven years. "In the Vampire Cup, it's not the placement that counts for us, but every single drop," the four-person organizing team unanimously emphasizes. Johannes Oldenburg , Director of the Institute for Experimental Hematology and Transfusion Medicine at the UKB, adds: "The students' commitment is impressive every year. They make an important contribution to the care of our patients."

In Münster, the cup will take place from October 13th to 26th at the University Hospital. Vouchers worth €50 each from various providers will be raffled off among participating pharmacy students from the University of Münster . The student council at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, however, cannot participate this year because the hospital has canceled due to a lack of staff and time, as the student council announced in response to an inquiry by the PZ.