FRANKFURT, March 10 (Reuters) - The cofounders of

BioNTech, Ugur Sahin and Oezlem Tuereci, will leave

the COVID-19 vaccine maker by the end of 2026 to set up their

own new company, the biotech firm said on Tuesday.

"BioNTech's Supervisory Board has initiated an executive

search to identify successors for the positions to ensure a

smooth transition and seamless execution of BioNTech's

strategy," it said in a statement.