Stifterverband: Who We Are

Stifterverband is the business community’s innovation agency

for the German science system.


Representing 3,000 companies, business associations and individuals, its sole source of funding is charitable giving. Originally founded in 1920, Stifterverband has acted as the industry’s joint initiative for supporting research and higher education.

Stifterverband’s goal is to improve the quality of the science system. Through its programmes it wants to ensure the sciences retain their reputation and high standard of quality for the long term.

Stifterverband Gets Involved and Builds Networks

Stifterverband develops its own programmes. To do so, it harnesses the expertise of its broad network of experts in industry, science and politics. Through its programmes, it improves the basic fabric of the science system. In other words, no support is given for individual science projects.

Stifterverband Challenges and Supports

Stifterverband lobbies for forward-looking reforms in the science system, and promotes their implementation. It identifies innovative potential, demonstrates its effect in applied projects, and spreads new ideas through recommendations and guidelines.

Stifterverband Delivers Start-Up Financing

With its programmes and model projects, Stifterverband tests new ideas and how they stand up in the real world. However, Stifterverband does not replace government assistance with private funding.

Stifterverband Crosses Boundaries

Stifterverband forges bonds between universities and non-academic research institutions, links science and industry and encourages the creation of a single European education and research area. It capitalises on the expertise of its multinational member companies to give German universities a more international orientation.

 

International Activities

  • ESOF – Euroscience Open Forum
    Stifterverband has created and promoted the biggest pan-European conference as a forum for European dialogue on cutting-edge issues in research and science policies.

  • Welcome Centres
    By funding Welcome Centres at universities, Stifterverband intends to create an environment that offers better support to foreign researchers and their families. In cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Deutsche Telekom Foundation, best-practice models are promoted, tracked, documented and communicated to the public and to decision-makers.

  • International Science Policy Conferences
    Stifterverband, the German Research Foundation and the British 21st Century Trust bring together young talents from different countries. The goal: to discuss future guidelines for research policies at an international level, to identify good examples of dialogue between society and the scientific community, and to develop action plans for political decisionmakers.

  • Excellence Award for International Master’s Programmes
    Stifterverband and the German Academic Exchange Service have set up a joint competition to honour the ten best international master’s programmes at German universities. This mark of quality makes these programmes more attractive to German and foreign students, and enhances their standing in transnational competition.

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Striving for Excellence

Striving for Excellence (Cover)Info brochure:
Our Mission, Principles
and Programmes

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