Knowledge factory - company for Germany

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Knowledge Factory - Companies for Germany eV
purpose Promotion of education and entrepreneurship in Germany
Chair: Lilian Knobel (CEO)
Establishment date: January 2005
Number of members: more than 130 companies and corporate foundations
Seat : Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Website: wissensfabrik.de

The Knowledge Factory - Companies for Germany eV with headquarters in Ludwigshafen is an association of more than 130 companies and business-related foundations "those adopted in Germany want to strengthen and implement public impulses." As non-profit organization committed to the Knowledge Factory in educational projects at primary and secondary Schools and supports start-ups and young entrepreneurs .

aims

The aim of the association is "together with other social actors to make Germany more sustainable and the young generation fit for the challenges of the knowledge society."

The focus of the activities are projects in the education sector and in companies . One focus is early childhood education, i.e. cooperation with kindergartens and elementary schools in teaching natural sciences, technology, IT and business. Activities for career orientation in secondary schools and university cooperations are also part of the knowledge factory's educational portfolio. In the field of entrepreneurship, the Wissensfabrik supports young entrepreneurs in the successful implementation of their business ideas as part of mentoring programs. Together with Handelsblatt and UnternehmerTUM, the Wissensfabrik organizes the Weconomy start-up competition once a year .

The Wissensfabrik sees itself as a participatory initiative that wants to make a contribution to Germany as a location for education and business. The purpose of the articles of association is to be achieved in particular through:

  • Strengthening and promoting national cooperation and networking among personalities, companies, foundations and institutions as well as politics and scientific institutions to strengthen Germany as a location
  • Implementation of seminars of usually interdisciplinary teaching projects in the pre-competitive area
  • Promotion of business start-ups and entrepreneurial skills at universities and in the educational sector
  • Acknowledgment of outstanding commitment in the area of ​​teaching, research and development
  • Assumption of projects in the areas of teaching, research and development; Acquisition of additional funds from business, administration and other institutions for the promotion and implementation of teaching and research projects
  • Monitoring and evaluation of learning and training concepts as well as corresponding programs
  • Promotion of cooperation in teaching and research in the field of entrepreneurship and human resource development

history

The knowledge factory was founded in January 2005 by the companies BASF , Robert Bosch GmbH , Fischer , Follmann, KSB Aktiengesellschaft , ThyssenKrupp , Trumpf , Voith and Wall as a non-profit organization. Among the founders were Jürgen Hambrecht , former CEO of BASF, Franz Fehrenbach , Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Robert Bosch GmbH, Berthold Leibinger , former Trumpf Supervisory Board Chairman and Fischer boss Klaus Fischer .

Today the network includes more than 130 companies and corporate foundations.

On October 4, 2006, the former Federal President Horst Köhler awarded the Federal Cross of Merit to co-founder Berthold Leibinger: “With the Berthold Leibinger Foundation and privately, he has been promoting scientific, cultural, social and church institutions for many years. Last year he and other entrepreneurs committed to the common good launched the much-noticed initiative “Knowledge Factory - Companies for Germany”, which aims to make Germany fit for the future in a global world. "

In April 2007 Federal President Horst Köhler took over the patronage of the "Knowledge Factory - Companies for Germany eV" after an appeal to the economy to become more socially active and held it until his resignation. In an interview with the weekly magazine Focus , Köhler said: “I would like to say to German entrepreneurs: Don't underestimate the social dimension. It is no longer enough just to take care of the employees and it doesn't matter from the factory gate. ”Köhler sees a wealth of opportunities for companies to participate in social engagement. The magazine wrote: "The Federal President is thinking, for example, of equipping schools with computers, renovating classrooms or the entrepreneurial initiative" Knowledge Factory ", which explains in schools what constitutes an economy."

Since the knowledge factory was founded in 2005, more than 3,000 partnerships have emerged between companies and educational institutions that focus on technical and scientific content. The organization does not want to bring money, but rather know-how and operational practice to the schools.

organization

The Wissensfabrik is a registered, non-profit association based in Ludwigshafen. The association is controlled by the steering committee, the general assembly and the board of directors. The steering committee advises, appoints and monitors the board and decides on the strategic direction of the association. It is made up of the founding members of the Wissensfabrik, elected representatives of the general assembly and people appointed by the steering committee itself. The members of the Wissensfabrik's steering group are: Michael Heinz, chairman of the steering group ( BASF ), Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller , deputy chairman of the steering group ( Trumpf ), Christoph Kübel ( Bosch ), Ulrich Dietz ( GFT ), Marc-Sven Mengis ( fischerwerke ), Stephan Bross ( KSB ), Toralf Haag ( Voith ), Hermann Reichenecker ( Storopack ), Dirk Stenkamp ( TÜV Nord ), Karin Winkler (Center for School Quality and Teacher Training) Burkhard Schwenker ( Roland Berger ), Daniel Holz ( SAP Germany ) and Sabine Bendiek ( Microsoft Germany ).

Lilian Knobel ( BASF ) has been the CEO since 2018 . Your deputy is Christian Greger ( Trumpf ). Further board members are Siegfried Czock ( Bosch ) and Claudia Guterl (BASF).

The office coordinates the joint work, is the contact person for the press and acts as an interface for the exchange of knowledge among members and partners. It is led by the chairwoman of the board. Member companies delegate employees to the office team. The thematic working groups on education and entrepreneurship consist of representatives of the member companies and ensure, among other things, that the work is further developed, the objectives are monitored and new members are integrated.

Target groups

Young entrepreneurs

With the help of a mentoring program, the Wissensfabrik wants to manage incoming inquiries from people willing to start a business and provide young entrepreneurs with local contacts. The network of the knowledge factory enables the mentees to draw on the entire expertise of the companies from the various industries. In addition, the Wissensfabrik has other projects to support and promote young founders in Germany. These include the Weconomy start-up competition, which is organized annually together with UnternehmerTUM and Handelsblatt, and the Student2Start-up format . In this context, the Wissensfabrik is also a member of the initiative group of the BMWI project “Entrepreneurship in Schools”.

Educational institutions

Members of the Wissensfabrik can enter into so-called "educational partnerships" with day-care centers and / or schools and thus support knowledge transfer and competence development in technology / IT, natural sciences and economic education along the entire educational chain. There are no costs for the educational institutions. The project implementation is carried out by teachers from the respective educational institution, the member company only bears the costs of the project materials. The knowledge factory aligns the cooperation between companies and educational institutions according to the Beutelsbach consensus . The three pillars of this consensus include the prohibition of overpowering (no indoctrination of students with personal opinions), observance and discussion of controversial positions in science and politics in the classroom, and the ability of students to analyze their own interests in political situations. These elements can also be found in the self-image developed by the Wissensfabrik for responsible behavior in schools, to which all members are connected who enter into educational partnerships with daycare centers and schools on behalf of the Wissensfabrik.

Project work

The Wissensfabrik sees itself as an open platform for all companies, educational institutions, foundations and initiatives that want to promote and share knowledge. Partners, experts and member companies bring projects to the knowledge factory. From this project pool, the Wissensfabrik works together with scientific institutions to develop proven, scientifically sound educational projects that are then available to every member company. There are currently six hands-on projects that are being implemented in educational partnerships:

  • KIEWIS - children discover business
  • KiTec - children discover technology
  • NaWi - is that possible? Discover science
  • School2Start-up - students discover business
  • Power4School - students discover energy
  • IT2School - discover IT together

In addition to the educational projects, the portfolio also includes four projects for students and start-ups:

  • Mentoring (scheduled for approx. 1 year)
  • Speed ​​mentoring
  • Weconomy start-up competition
  • Student2Start-up

For the technology project "KiTec - Children discover technology", the Wissensfabrik has been carrying the working seal of the independent consulting company Phineo since 2018 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c The Knowledge Factory. Knowledge Factory, September 4, 2018, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  2. These are the ten winners of the Weconomy start-up contest. Handelsblatt , September 12, 2018, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  3. Learning for life: The Knowledge Factory. Bosch, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  4. a b c Association Statutes 2013. September 4, 2018, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  5. Company for Germany. Kulturwandel.org, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  6. Bayerischer Rundfunk: Double hour in the assembly hall ( Memento from June 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) , br-online.de, May 18, 2006.
  7. We need a lot of discipline. DieWelt, August 27, 2006, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  8. ^ Speech by Federal President Horst Köhler at the annual meeting of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. Office of the Federal President, May 11, 2007, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  9. Köhler makes entrepreneurs responsible. Focus, March 18, 2007, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  10. br-online.de ( Memento from June 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ), May 18, 2006
  11. Bernd Freytag, Ludwigshafen: Countries vs. Federal government: Blocking of the digital pact is upsetting companies . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed May 20, 2019]).
  12. Stephan Knieps: Management consultant: How's Burkhard Schwenker doing? October 5, 2018 ( welt.de [accessed May 20, 2019]).
  13. a b c Knowledge Factory who we are. Retrieved September 11, 2018 .
  14. Education needs entrepreneurship, for the civic engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises in education. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  15. The Knowledge Factory in Lübeck: More knowledge, more ability, more future. March 1, 2018, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  16. ^ Weconomy website
  17. Weconomy Award: Where founders suddenly inspire top managers. Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
  18. Hochschule Fresenius and Wissensfabrik continue to write success stories. Hochschule Fresenius, September 18, 2018, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  19. Entrepreneurship in Schools: Initiators. Retrieved April 29, 2014 .
  20. Federal Agency for Political Education: Beutelsbach Consensus | bpb. Retrieved June 26, 2019 .
  21. Who wants to see hardworking craftsmen ... BASF, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  22. Wissensfabrik and LBBW support Jugend forscht award winners. June 13, 2018, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  23. KiTec - children discover technology - details - PHINEO. Retrieved July 2, 2018 .