Press Release

50 Year Anniversary of the Robert Bosch Stiftung - 50 Years Shaping the Future


Anniversary events in Stuttgart, Berlin, Freiburg, and Munich


Particular achievements in the fields of international relations, education, and nursing care


Since its founding, over 1.2 billion euros spent on charitable projects

Stuttgart, March 3rd, 2014 - This year, the Robert Bosch Stiftung is celebrating its 50-year anniversary. Today the Foundation is kicking off the wide range of activities being held to honor this special year. The anniversary is being celebrated with the slogan "50 Years Shaping the Future." The Foundation is honoring its birthday with a series of events over the course of the coming months.

It will open its doors to the public for the first time on July 5th for a citizens' festival, presenting its work to the citizens of Stuttgart. The opening of the UWC Robert Bosch College in Freiburg, the first United World College in Germany, represents the highlight of the event series as well as the conclusion of the largest individual project in the history of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. In addition, during the anniversary year the Foundation will hold a panel discussion with high-caliber members in honor of forty years of support for German-Polish relations. Finally, in the fall, the Foundation will hold an international conference on the future of foundations with numerous representatives from foundations and civil society taking part. German President Joachim Gauck has announced his plans to attend the conference. The first event in honor of the anniversary will be held this week - the awarding of the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize for the 30th time at the Allerheiligen Hofkirche in Munich.

To kick-off the Foundation's birthday, the anniversary website www.50-jahre-richtung-zukunft.de is now online, offering a look at groundbreaking projects from over fifty years of Foundation history as well as clearly showing what the Robert Bosch Stiftung stands for today. The website also contains information about the anniversary events being held over the course of the year and invites visitors to take a virtual tour of the Robert Bosch House. The online and print versions of the Robert Bosch Stiftung's anniversary magazine present the Foundation's history, operations, and areas of focus.

Milestones in the History of the Robert Bosch Stiftung:

The Foundation has received particular recognition for its activities related to German and Polish reconciliation. Establishing contacts across the Iron Curtain in the early 1970s was a pioneering achievement. As a result, the Foundation facilitated exchange trips for 28,000 students from both countries, further education for 1700 Polish students of German language and literature in Germany, the publication of the 50-volume "Polish Library" in German, and countless further projects. Today this experience forms the basis of the Foundation's work in other countries, often together with Polish partners. Further areas of focus in the field of international relations include activities related to the German-French and German-American relationships and in the recent past opening up a dialog with Turkey and China.

In the last thirty years, the Robert Bosch Stiftung has also established itself as a educational foundation. It awards the German School Award, the most well-known and challenging prize a school can receive. The Foundation’s main goal in this field is to ensure that young people have fair starting conditions and receive personalized support - regardless of their background or social status.

The Foundation created the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize, which has become one of the most highly respected literature awards in Germany, and plays a key role in honoring German authors whose work is shaped by a change of culture, as well as making their particular contribution to contemporary German literature visible.

In the field of health, the Foundation has actively supported projects related to nursing care for the sick and elderly for 35 years. It has played a key role in professionalizing nursing care and establishing it as an independent discipline in Germany - an advancement which many of those in need of care as well as the industry’s workers continue to benefit from today.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung is one of Europe's largest foundations associated with a private company. It invests approximately 70 million euros annually in supporting approximately 800 of its own as well as third-party projects in the fields of international relations, education, society and culture, as well as health and science. Since its founding back in 1964, the Foundation has used more than 1.2 billion euros for charitable activities.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung continues the charitable pursuits of Robert Bosch (1861 - 1942), the founder of both the company and the Foundation. It owns about a 92 percent stake in Robert Bosch GmbH, and finances its operations from the dividends it receives from this holding. Robert Bosch's former home in Stuttgart serves as the Foundation's headquarters. Around 140 employees work for the Foundation at this location and at its offices in Berlin.

Press contact
Chiara Josten
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Heidehofstraße 31
70184 Stuttgart
Phone+49 711 46084-750
e-mail to Press contact
Press contact
Michael Herm, Senior Expert
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Heidehofstraße 31
70184 Stuttgart
Phone+49 711 46084-290
e-mail to Press contact