Newsroom

viele Menschen um einen "Buzzer" versammelt
Story 05 October 2022

Volkswagen Foundation: 60 years of science funding

Germany's largest private science sponsor celebrated its jubilee with many guests: The public was invited to join the big "Festival of Science" at Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover on October 1, 2022.

Illustration mit zwei Personen und einem Fernrohr
Funding Offer 16 August 2022

Pioneering projects "Societal Transformations"

The funding offer was aimed at scientists from all disciplines who develop research projects that result in transformation knowledge.

Speere in einem afrikanischen Weizenfeld
Story 09 August 2022

The challenge of dealing with colonial exhibits

Provenance research contributes towards a new understanding of collecting, researching, preserving, and presenting ethnographic objects. 

Rhine Ruhr Center
Story 12 July 2022

Exploring science communication: The RRC

Disinformation, media fragmentation, instrumentalization of science – how can the facticity crisis be countered? One of the central research questions at the Rhine Ruhr Center for Science Communication Research (RRC).

Magazincover "Impulse" 2022
Publication of the Foundation 28 June 2022

Impulse Ausgabe 2022 (in German): "Was soll ich? Was darf ich?"

Farbverlauf von hellgrün zu hellblau
Publication of the Foundation 21 June 2022

Status 2021 - The Volkswagen Foundation in figures

In 2021, the Volkswagen Foundation approved EUR 238.8 million for scientific projects. The most important figures, data and facts from our 2021 annual report.

Stories

Mehrere Personen sitzen zusammen, eine Frau erzählt etwas, ein Mann tippt dabei an einem Laptop. Im Hintergrund sind Bananenpflanzen und ein Dschungel-Wald zu sehen.
Story 27 May 2026

A Pharmacy From the Rainforest: Remedies for the Mind

Fabien Schultz is searching for natural materials that can be used to treat mental health conditions. To this end, he is working with indigenous communities in Uganda and Tanzania – and with monkeys.

Portrait eines Mannes
Story 26 March 2026

Hybrid Computers Made of Nerves and Fibre Optics

Wolfram Pernice is researching how computers based on neural networks could in future compute even faster and more efficiently – using light instead of electronics. And real nerves instead of optical fibres.

Mastodon