Anniversary

Ceremony to mark the Foundation's 60th birthday

On 5 June 2024, the Robert Bosch Stiftung celebrated its 60th anniversary in Stuttgart. Videos, pictures and statements give an impression of the event.

Text
Eva Bolta
Photos/Videos
Verena Müller/Steffen Keyser
Date
June 07, 2024

Around 100 representatives from politics, business and society came together at the Heidehof in Stuttgart to look back on six decades of the foundation's work. Partners from the foundation's work were present, as were members of the founding family and the Bosch company. The entertaining programme with keynote speeches and music explored the question: Where have we made a difference?

Over the past 60 years, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has invested a total of over 2.3 billion euros in charitable projects worldwide. The milestones in the foundation's history reflect the major social issues of the past decades - from overcoming the Iron Curtain in Europe to the first PISA shock in Germany or the refugee influx in 2015/2016 to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. 

The founder of the foundation, Robert Bosch, formulated a dual mission in his will: to ensure the successful development of his company on the one hand and to continue his social commitment on the other. Social commitment was always very close to Robert Bosch's heart. His grandson Christof Bosch commented on his legacy:

Petra Olschowski, Minister of Science, Research and the Arts of the state of Baden-Württemberg and a native of Stuttgart, recalled Robert Bosch's role as a pioneer of social change. His confidence in the future and future generations is a role model for today:

Health has been an important part of the foundation's work since the beginning. Professor Dr Heyo Kroemer, pharmacist and CEO of Berlin's Charité hospital, spoke about the challenges facing the German healthcare system. The basic situation is difficult because "significantly fewer people will have to cope with the triad of more work, higher costs and faster innovations in the future. This initial situation comes up against a healthcare system that is in extreme need of reform."

"We have to look at what the solutions are: We need to create modern care structures; secondly, replace the workforce that is no longer available through a combination of digitalisation and artificial intelligence; and thirdly, establish prevention as a central feature of our healthcare system. [...] The Robert Bosch Stiftung's Healthcare funding area plays a crucial role in all of these forward-looking fields."

Quote fromProf. Dr. Heyo Kroemer

Former grantees also had their say on this evening. Professor Dr Jürgen Bauer, Director of the Heidelberg Geriatric Centre, took the opportunity to point out the fundamental changes in geriatric medicine initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. Headmaster Thilo Engelhardt also spoke about the impact that winning the German School Award had on his school, which continues to have an effect today.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung has been involved in education for decades. A lot has changed in the last two years in particular. Division Director Dagmar Wolf looks at the situation in today's education system and identifies a new development. 

Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, emphasised the role of charitable foundations in the fight against climate change via a live link to Berlin.

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