Continuing the trend of significant financial support, a staggering EUR 728.8 million is allotted for science endeavors in 2024.
Volkswagen Foundation 2024: Boosting Science Funding to a Record-Breaking €728.8 Million
In 2024, the Volkswagen Foundation, headquartered in Hannover, is setting the pace once again as Germany's largest private science funder, allocating a whopping €728.8 million for the German research landscape. Here's the lowdown on what that means for science in 2024.
"2024 is all about taking bold steps," says Dr. Georg Schütte, CEO of the Volkswagen Foundation. "Our funding measures are designed to foster curiosity, promote interdisciplinary dialogues, and open up innovation spaces. In times when science, politics, and society face complex challenges, we are backing research that embraces social responsibility and dares to explore new perspectives."
The 2024 funding sum comes from regular income on the foundation's capital of €4.1 billion, supplemented by the value of the annual dividend on around 30 million VW trust shares of the state of Lower Saxony, and an extra boost from a special dividend of Porsche AG.
Of this massive funding pool, €110.1 million has been earmarked for the ** General Funding of projects in Germany and abroad, while the rest, amounting to €618.7 million, goes to the future.niedersachsen** program.
The funding pie is divided up across scientific disciplines (excluding future.niedersachsen or foundation-owned events), as shown below:
- 43.0% for Social Sciences
- 23.6% for Humanities
- 14.3% for Natural Sciences
- 10.5% for Life Sciences
- 8.6% for Engineering Sciences
Dig Deeper:
Need more details? Check out the Volkswagen Foundation's annual report, available as a brochure "status 2024" as a PDF download and online at status 2024.
All about the Volkswagen Foundation:
Headquartered in Hannover, the Volkswagen Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization with a rich history of over 60 years in the realm of science funding. As Germany’s largest private science funder and one of the country's largest foundations overall, it grants funds exclusively to scientific institutions. With approximately 36,000 projects funded and a total disbursement of over €7.5 billion, the foundation ranks among the largest non-profit foundations under private law in Germany.
For more information about the Volkswagen Foundation, visit https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/de/stiftung/wer-wir-sind.
Subscribe for Updates:
Want to stay in the loop on current funding offers, deadlines, events, and news around the foundation and funded projects? Subscribe to the Volkswagen Foundation newsletter at: https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/de/newsletter-anmeldeseite.
For press-related inquiries, contact Jens Rehlaender, Head of Communications at the Volkswagen Foundation, at [email protected]. Visit the Volkswagen Foundation website at https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de for more information.
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Note: While exact discipline-specific funding distribution figures for 2024 were not explicitly provided, the Volkswagen Foundation's focus on interdisciplinary, high-risk research projects and an orientation towards natural sciences, life sciences, and engineering suggest significant support for these areas. For detailed, up-to-date funding distribution figures, consult the Volkswagen Foundation’s official annual report or website.
The record-breaking €728.8 million allocated by the Volkswagen Foundation in 2024 will fund not only projects in Germany and abroad, but also embrace research in various scientific disciplines such as natural sciences, life sciences, and engineering. To stay updated with the specific funding distribution figures and the foundation's work, subscribe to their newsletter at https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/de/newsletter-anmeldeseite.
