Guest speakers include Petra Olschowski, Member of the State Parliament and Minister of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg, Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, Heyo K. Kroemer, Chairman of the Board of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Nina Jude, Professor at the Institute of Education, Heidelberg University, and Christof Bosch, Robert Bosch's grandson and trustee of the Foundation.

Over 2.3 billion euros invested in charitable work

Over the past 60 years, the Foundation has invested over 2.3 billion euros in charitable projects in Germany, Europe and around the world to work toward a fair and sustainable future. In 2023, the figure was 97 million euros. The milestones in the Foundation's history are also a reflection of the major social issues of the past decades – overcoming the Iron Curtain in Europe, the shock of Germany’s poor performance in the global PISA education study, the refugee influx in 2015/2016, or the Russian war on Ukraine since 2022.

“As a Foundation, we have a unique privilege: we can be courageous and consciously take risks – always aiming to make the biggest possible difference for a better future,” said Managing Director Bernhard Straub at a press conference in Stuttgart. “In doing so, we focus on complex social challenges such as strengthening the healthcare system and achieving educational equality. At the same time, we are committed to humane migration and strengthening democracy. Our aim is to develop solutions together with our partners in the three funding areas of Health, Education and Global Issues that go beyond individual project results and have a broad and deep impact,” Straub said.

Last year, the Foundation was actively engaged in 28 countries, including Germany and Europe, the Middle East and selected regions of sub-Saharan Africa. From this year on, the Robert Bosch Stiftung will support Ukrainian civil society in reconstructing the country with around 20 million euros until at least 2028.

Strengthening healthcare provision in Stuttgart

Healthcare at our Stuttgart location will be a primary focus in the coming years. “We want to underpin our commitment to the region by expanding the Bosch Health Campus and its facilities, including the Robert Bosch Hospital. Over the next five years, the Foundation will invest over half a billion euros in healthcare in the Stuttgart region,” Straub announced.

The Foundation has its roots in the legacy of entrepreneur and founder Robert Bosch. In his will, Bosch formulated a dual mission: to ensure the successful development of his company and to continue his social engagement. For him, these were two expressions of one and the same approach, as Christof Bosch, grandson of Robert Bosch and trustee of the Foundation, emphasized today at the Foundation's headquarters. Serving the common good is “no sugar-coating,” but an intrinsic motivation for economic and social action, said Christof Bosch. Sixty years ago, “it was not just a nice Foundation that was created as an accessory for a company with a completely different orientation, but a model of corporate ownership and social responsibility that is still visionary today.”