Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator will work closely together in future to create a network of civil society organizations from Europe and China. To this end, two existing programmes will be combined in a joint initiative.
“I look forward to the cooperation between our two foundations in China”, says Robert Bosch Stiftung director Dr Ingrid Hamm. “The objective of our cooperation is to combine and thus strengthen two successful exchange programmes for non-governmental organizations already being run between Europe and China and to support the sharing of knowledge and experience in this sector.”
The joint initiative will be named “EU-China NGO Twinning Program”. It will comprise the Stiftung Asienhaus “EU-China NGO Twinning Program”, which is funded by Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Stiftung Mercator’s “China-EU NGO Exchange Program on Climate Change and Low Carbon Development”. Previously, Stiftung Mercator ran its programme together with the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-E) and the China Association for NGO Cooperation (CANGO) and will now continue this good cooperation with both project partners in the joint initiative. In future, up to 24 employees from Chinese and European organizations will take part in this programme each year, which will continue to comprise its two original constituent parts. The programme will offer NGO staff from Europe and China the opportunity to spend a four- to eight-week placement in a Chinese or European organization and to further develop their own areas of expertise. The goal is to strengthen relations between European and Chinese NGOs in the fields of environmental protection, climate change mitigation and social affairs and to help establish further cooperation between NGOs in both regions. Stiftung Asienhaus will be responsible for overall coordination of the programme.
Michael Schwarz, CEO of Stiftung Mercator, explains: “Everyone involved, above all the NGOs, will profit from the even closer cooperation between Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator in the area of European-Chinese exchange.”
Bundling resources and competencies in civil society cooperation between China and Europe is an important step towards achieving the joint objective of Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator. Both want to promote relations between China and Europe by strengthening knowledge sharing and cooperation with a view to resolving global questions. To date there are no comparable initiatives in the non-profit sector.
Press contact:
Michael Herm
Press Officer
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Tel: +49 0711 46084-290
michael.herm@bosch-stiftung.de
Natalie Jurewitz
Communications Manager
Stiftung Mercator
Tel: +49 201 245 22-840
natalie.jurewitz@stiftung-mercator.de
About Robert Bosch Stiftung:
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is one of the major German foundations associated with a private company. It holds 92 percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH. Established in 1964, it represents the philanthropic endeavors of Robert Bosch (1861–1942), focussing on the fields of science, health, international relations, education, society, and culture. In Stuttgart, the Foundation maintains the Robert Bosch Hospital, the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, and the Institute for the History of Medicine. Between 1964 and 2014, the Foundation has made available 1.3 billion euros for projects. In 2014, approximately 68 million euros were spent on project funding.