When Horst Sund became the Rector of the University of Konstanz in 1976, the university was only ten years old. He led it for 15 years, firmly establishing it in the national and international academic community, as well as in the city of Konstanz and the surrounding region. In 1996, Horst Sund was recognized as an honorary citizen of the University of Konstanz, the highest distinction the university can award.

In 1967, Horst Sund joined the newly established University of Konstanz as a full professor in the Department of Biology. He was one of the first three professors in the natural sciences and played a significant role in developing the department. The international reputation that Konstanz’s biology department soon gained was due in no small part to his scientific contributions. As a biochemist, he researched the relationships between chemical structure and the biological activity of proteins. In 1977, he served as Dean of the then Faculty of Natural Sciences, and in 1969, he was appointed Vice-Rector.

Numerous partnerships with international universities, which have since become highly significant, were established during Horst Sund’s tenure.

Beyond the University of Konstanz, Horst Sund held numerous influential positions and commissions in scientific policy. Among other roles, he was a member of the Senate of the West German Rectors' Conference from 1979 to 1986 and Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Rectors’ Conference from 1980 to 1984. He was also Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Chinese Society (1984–2009) and later its Honorary Chairman (2009), a representative of the German Federal Foreign Office and DAAD in establishing the Sino-German University College (CDHK) at Tongji University in Shanghai (1995–2010), and its lifetime Honorary Director (2010).

Horst Sund’s dedication to science and scientific policy is reflected in his long list of honors and awards.