The lion’s share, some 20 million euros, goes toward programs designed to promote international relations. The foundation has announced the first ever Robert Bosch junior chair for the sustainable use of natural resources.
During the annual press conference and the presentation of the 2006 annual report, the board of management of Robert Bosch Stiftung declared that major social challenges remain and the foundation will continue to tackle them with new approaches and instruments. The latest programs include the foundation chair for the sustainable use of resources. It was the United Nations’ voluntary commitment to the millennium goals in 2000 that most recently boosted the international dynamics and importance of this field of research. As a charitable foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung is seeking to highlight the importance of scientific research into the sustainable use of resources through the new program targeted at junior scientists. To enable the scientific community in Germany to move closer to these goals, Robert Bosch Stiftung plans to give one outstanding young scientist each year the opportunity to research this area under highly attractive conditions.
Robert Bosch Stiftung also aims to pool its commitment with European partners on the key issue of “Strengthening Europe” and promote the active involvement of citizens in European dialog on a range of levels. “Many politicians claim it is not possible to engage in dialog with the citizens of Europe. We want to prove the opposite is true,” explained Dieter Berg, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch Stiftung, referring to the European Citizens’ Consultation in Berlin, which was supported by the foundation. The foundation is also following another line of approach with a range of high-caliber forums such as the “Meeting Forum Germany and Poland in Europe”. This series of meetings represents an important milestone in the dialog between the two countries, which Robert Bosch Stiftung has been developing over a period of decades.
Robert Bosch Stiftung and its partners also successfully presented the first ever German school award (Deutscher Schulpreis) in 2006. Representatives from all the award-winning schools have since become members of a German school development academy. The academy network is both a platform for sharing experience and a think-tank, where best-practice educational standards are developed and made available to other schools. Robert Bosch Stiftung wants the German school development academy to set a further milestone in educational reform. Between 1964 and 2006, Robert Bosch Stiftung donated approximately 790 million euros in grants to promote development across its six program areas.
