125 years of Bosch - Bosch to spend 50 million euros on expanding its higher education programs worldwide

Focus on Germany, China, India, U.S.

- New initiative – “Bosch InterCampus Program”
- Financial support for universities and research projects on megatrends – environment, energy, and mobility
- Fehrenbach: “Investing in the future of a global society”
- Bosch – a popular employer among university graduates for many years

Stuttgart/Gerlingen – In 2011, its anniversary year, the Bosch Group is expanding its higher education funding and launching a new global initiative. The company is investing a total of 50 million euros to provide support for universities and research projects in Germany, China, India, and the U.S. over the next ten years or so. The initiative – the “Bosch InterCampus Program” – aims to achieve lasting improvements in research conditions for undergraduates and scientists in the university sphere, thereby accelerating progress in the highly promising fields of the environment, energy, and mobility. As a global supplier of technology and services, Bosch is once again underlining its social responsibility with this commitment and is also offering young graduates excellent prospects for the future. In 2011 alone, Bosch will take on 9,000 university graduates worldwide – 1,200 of them in Germany.

Investing in the future
The rapid developments of the last few years in all key technology sectors are also placing enormous demands on business. “By funding science and research, we’re investing not only in the future viability of our company but also in the future of a global society,” says Franz Fehrenbach, chairman of the Bosch board of management. The major challenges include areas such as energy, the environment, and mobility. It is against this backdrop that Bosch has decided to invest more in these research fields. In the InterCampus program, undergraduates and scientists will therefore research into electromobility, energy generation, energy efficiency, and reducing emissions from 2011 onward. To create the optimum conditions for this, Bosch is setting up new institutes and chairs, expanding those already in existence, and creating networks among universities. The aim is to stimulate a dynamic transfer of knowledge. Details of the individual countries:

Higher education program – made for Germany
Some 15 million euros from the InterCampus program will be made available for three top German institutions in the years ahead. RWTH Aachen, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the University of Stuttgart will each receive an equal share of the budget. Bosch supports promising areas of activity at all the universities. In Aachen, a renewable energies chair specializing in wind power is being set up, as is a further chair focusing on manufacturing technology for electromobility components. At KIT, the funding is being utilized for projects such as expanding the professorship for nanostructured functional materials. Knowledge of such structures is needed in areas such as materials research. Five million euros is being made available until 2024 to the University of Stuttgart to set up an institute within the Robert Bosch Center for Power Electronics. It is hoped that the funding will allow high-caliber professors to be appointed at the institute. “Our commitment sees us paving the way for a highly promising future. We are investing in innovations that serve society, that protect the environment, and that offer opportunities to young academics,” says Dr. Volkmar Denner, the Bosch board of management member responsible for research and advance development, product planning, and technology coordination.

Top ten in the U.S.
Environmental protection is also a top priority in the activities of Bosch in the United States, as the U.S. in particular is faced with major challenges in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. With funding totaling 7.2 million euros over the next eight years, Bosch is supporting the establishment of the Bosch Energy Research Network (BERN). BERN is a joint project of ten top North American universities to pursue research in transformative energy technologies such as solar energy, wind power, photovoltaics, batteries, building installations, and electromobility. The aim is to subsequently make the best results developed in BERN ready for series production and encourage their use with Bosch funding. “As a technology company and innovation driver, Bosch is also pursuing the objective of significantly cutting energy consumption and environmental impact in the U.S. by using alternative energy technologies,” says Peter Marks, the Bosch board of management member responsible for North and South America.

Energy efficiency in China
State-of-the-art energy efficiency technologies and alternative energy models are also a focal point of the InterCampus program in China. As part of its collaboration with universities, Bosch is investing a further five million euros over a ten-year period to drive forward research into eco-friendly technologies in China. The company is significantly expanding five existing professorships in applied scientific activities related to alternative energy technologies. The chairs focus in particular on electromobility, lithium-ion battery technology, and photovoltaics. “We hope to gain new knowledge from collaborating with the universities in China – knowledge that will enable us to cut energy consumption and therefore increase use of alternative energy technologies. This will lead to a cleaner environment in China and worldwide,” says Uwe Raschke, the member of the Bosch board of management responsible for Asia Pacific.

India IT site
Some 22.8 million euros, and therefore the lion’s share of the total budget, is going to India. The ten-year development project aims to set up the independent “Robert Bosch IISc Center for Research in Cyber Physical Systems” at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Cyber-physical systems will help to save energy in buildings, for instance. The house of the future will know what current energy prices are and the local weather is like, and optimize its energy consumption according to the needs of its occupants. Bosch is creating a campus for IT design, cyber-physical systems, mobility solutions and renewable energy in collaboration with India’s leading scientific institute. “With our funding for higher education in India, we are creating a perfect research and working environment for future IT specialists,” says Vijay Ratnaparkhe, managing director of Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions in India.

Bosch – a popular employer for many years
Bosch has been a successful supplier of technology and services for 125 years, using its innovations to make important contributions to solving major challenges of the day. Globally in 2011, Bosch will be spending around four billion euros on research and development, employing 34,500 researchers and developers, and registering 3,800 patents. Bosch has its associates to thank for this success. “To continue to be innovative and successful in the future, we need associates with excellent training who are committed and content. That’s why we offer our workforce a professional and innovative working environment and attractive development opportunities,” says Dr. Wolfgang Malchow, the director of industrial relations at Bosch.

200 million euros each year for global training
Entry programs and associate development are particularly attractive to new entrants. Every year, Bosch invests some 200 million euros in enhancing its associates’ qualifications and skills. This includes the possibility of working abroad. With around 350 subsidiaries and regional companies, Bosch offers development possibilities and a variety of opportunities to gain international experience the world over – from short-term tasks for specific projects to assignments extending over several years. Bosch also encourages its associates to move between different industries, divisions, and business sectors. As well as development opportunities in the workplace, worklife balance and integrated health management are also important for young parents in particular, as is a values-driven management culture.

For further information, visit: www.inter-campus.org

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 285,000 associates generated sales of 47.3 billion euros in fiscal 2010. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent 3.8 billion euros for research and development in 2010, and applied for over 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

Bosch is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as a “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and www.125bosch.com