Ongoing Projects
How does the foundation fulfill its purpose and what are its areas of focus? In accordance with our purpose, we only support the University of Mannheim. With your help we do everything we can to provide the university with the equipment and financial support it needs, so that research and teaching are promoted in the best possible way. In addition, the foundation supports motivated students and doctoral students at the University of Mannheim.
Below you will find projects and programs that are currently funded by the University of Mannheim Foundation. Feel free to contact us, if you would like to get involved or have your own ideas.
Fit4Excellence – Shaping the Path to Excellence Together
Excellent research needs room for new ideas and strong partners. The University of Mannheim Foundation supports fit4excellence, an initiative through which the University is laying the groundwork for successful participation in the German Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments in 2030.
At its heart is the creation of new spaces for scientific creativity and collaboration. Through the incubation spaces UMAXplore and the Center for Advanced Studies, researchers receive the time, space, and support they need to develop innovative, interdisciplinary research approaches. The focus is on socially relevant topics shaping the future, including sustainable economies, democracy, migration, and societal resilience.
The goal is ambitious: to develop at least two proposals for Clusters of Excellence for the next round of the Excellence Strategy in 2030. In doing so, the University of Mannheim aims to further strengthen its academic excellence and promote research that generates new insights and delivers important contributions to society and the economy.
As a funding partner, the University of Mannheim Foundation seeks to help create the conditions necessary for this development. After all, groundbreaking research requires not only scientific expertise but also committed people who believe in new ideas and help turn them into reality.
Support fit4excellence! Your donation helps generate new research impulses and supports the University of Mannheim on its path to academic excellence. Every contribution makes a difference and brings us one step closer to our shared goal.
The University of Mannheim is a place full of curiosity, creativity, and an innovative spirit. As a former student and graduate, it also holds a special place in my heart. At SNP, we support fit4excellence because we want to nurture young talent and empower their ideas for the future. Supporting education is an investment in the future.
Beste-Köpfe-Programm by Dr. Hans-Peter Wild
In addition to highly motivated students, a university must offer an inspiring environment with excellent colleagues in particular, in order to attract renowned researchers. Therefore, Dr. Hans-Peter Wild initiated the Beste-Köpfe-Programm through a generous donation together with the University of Mannheim Foundation in 2015.
With the help of this program, the University of Mannheim has supported research projects in recent years and has thus been able to retain internationally sought-after researchers at the university or attract them to Mannheim from abroad, so that it can remain globally competitive. “I am very happy to support the University of Mannheim in continuing to perform as well as it has and in building on its excellent reputation in the face of increasing international competition in the long term. High-quality research benefits not only the university itself, but also the economy and society – far beyond the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region”, says Dr. Wild, owner of Wild Group and initiator of the Beste-Köpfe-Programm.
Since 2021, he has supported the University of Mannheim Foundation with another major donation of 2 million euros. This donation will be divided into five annual payments of 400,000 euros. The money will be used to fund new projects of the University of Mannheim. Additional support for the Beste-Köpfe-Programm is always welcome. Feel free to contact us.
In addition to the editorship of the American Political Science Review, which ended in 2020, as scheduled, the program currently supports the following projects:
Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy Studies
The Foundation supports the establishment of the Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy Studies (MISES). The Institute’s Director, Professor Stefan J. Reichelstein, has held an endowed professorship in Business Administration at the University of Mannheim since July 2018. Over the past 30 years, Professor Reichelstein has held professorships at internationally renowned universities, including UC Berkeley and Stanford University.
MISES examines the challenges and opportunities for innovation arising from the transition to an energy future free of fossil fuels. A particular focus of its research is on the costs associated with alternative decarbonization strategies. Its projects cover the energy, transport, and industrial sectors.
On all these topics, Professor Stefan Reichelstein and his team seek to maintain an ongoing dialogue with experts from academia, business, and politics.
The Mannheim Institute for Sustainable Energy Studies focuses on the costs of a comprehensive energy transition. Our researchers examine technological and economic developments that enable decarbonized energy sources to become competitive in the market.
Freudenberg Center for Law and Economics
The globalization and digitalization of the economy, together with the major challenges of the energy transition and European integration, are bringing about profound changes in business and society. These developments are also changing the qualifications required of lawyers and economists.
Public authorities and businesses need graduates who understand and can integrate the technological and economic characteristics of their respective industries with the relevant regulatory frameworks. This combination of skills is often insufficiently addressed in traditional legal education and conventional master’s programmes in economics.
The newly established degree programme combines two master’s programmes in economics and law. It ensures a close integration of legal and economic perspectives, which is essential for a thorough understanding of markets, competition, and regulation.
The Master’s programme in Economics and Law launched as planned in 2017. Thanks to a designated donation from Freudenberg SE, the Foundation was able to commit to co-financing the programme for a period of ten years.
The Freudenberg Group has maintained close ties with the University of Mannheim for many decades. The University’s development into an internationally renowned research institution and a leading center for educating future management professionals is a major asset for the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.
By establishing the Freudenberg Center for Law and Economics, Freudenberg is making an important contribution to advancing research and teaching at the intersection of law and business, an area of particular relevance to business practice. This commitment continues the long-standing tradition of fruitful collaboration between Freudenberg and the University of Mannheim.