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News 06 September 2019

Interdisciplinarity - Buzzword or Indispensable Concept?

An international symposium at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin on October 3 and 4, 2019 discusses the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and new perspectives.

News 03 September 2019

Freigeist Fellowships: Around 10 Million Euro for Extraordinary Researchers

They set themselves apart from the mainstream and deliberately tackle high-risk research questions: Nine young researchers have now convinced the Volkswagen Foundation's international panel of experts and board of trustees with their unconventional projects. Their 'Freigeist' Fellowship gives them maximum freedom and a clear time perspective for their research. 

News 19 August 2019

"Our Future Depends on the Next Generation of Scientists."

Interview with Dr. Christian Peters, co-organizer of the conference "Forces and Forms of Doctoral Education Worldwide" in Hanover, Germany on September 5 to 6, 2019

Interview 14 August 2019

Why Robotics Needs Responsibility

Ethical aspects are rarely considered when it comes to the design and the programming of a robot. This is where Aimee van Wynsberghe, co-founder and co-director of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics, is stepping in.

Cover des Jahresberichts 2018
Publication of the Foundation 01 July 2019

Annual Report 2018

News 28 June 2019

Dr. Georg Schütte is the new Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation

At its summer meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Volkswagen Foundation elected Dr. Georg Schütte (born 1962) as the new Secretary General. He takes up his post on January 1, 2020, and succeeds Dr. Wilhelm Krull (born 1952)

Illustration: Reproduktion von Reichtum
Story 14 May 2025

Politics and wealth: a lopsided alliance?

A small, rich minority is becoming increasingly wealthy. Eva Wegner and Miquel Pellicer ask: How does politics contribute to growing economic inequality – and whose interests do MPs actually represent?

Eine Frau, die aufmerksam zuhört
Story 06 March 2025

So that everyone can have their say: Citizens' assembly on AI research

Rhetoric expert Anika Kaiser researches how people can make themselves heard on the major issues of our time – artificial intelligence (AI) being a case in point. She is the right person to take care that this grassroots democratic process does not remain too detached from reality: in her first life, she trained as a painter.