Foundation strategy

We want digital policies to be founded on civil society and scientific perspectives, be democratically debated and be effectively enforced. Our focus is the creation of a democratic digital public sphere and the digital transformation of the state. We support the development and dissemination of analyses and recommendations that contribute to shaping digital business models and markets in the public interest. Through our funding, we aim to highlight the relevance of the digital transformation for democracy beyond expert circles and contribute to a pluralistic, informed, and nuanced discourse on the way digital technologies shape our future.

More on our work in Digital Society

Russia’s war against Ukraine, growing tensions between China and the USA, emerging regional powers – Europe must redefine its role in the world if it wishes to defend its interests and make an effective contribution to overcoming global crises. For this reason, we will undertake greater efforts to support the development of a new European self-image. We are committed to more consistently involving African, Asian and Latin American countries in the global world order, furthering knowledge about and relations with Turkey and China and driving forward European integration, especially in the east of the continent.

Our objective: To strengthen Europe’s ability to act through constructive relations both internally and with external partners with a view to contributing to a more inclusive international order.

More on our work in Europe in the World

Stiftung Mercator is committed to making Germany greenhouse gas-neutral by 2050. The foundation wants to help Germany and the EU assume a global leadership role in climate action. Stiftung Mercator sees the challenge as being not only to lower emissions as part of the climate revolution, but also to give economies impetus for innovation and growth, while at the same time reducing social inequality. To this end, the foundation plans to create a solid analytical basis. A more in-depth study is to be made in future of how climate change affects different areas of life, such as finance and health. Stiftung Mercator wishes to strengthen societal support for climate action by fostering exchange between climate action stakeholders and other groups in civil society that are affected by specific aspects of climate change. We will continue to promote fact-based media reporting in order to combat the polarization of public discourse.

More on our work in Climate Action

Stiftung Mercator is committed to ensuring that everyone in Germany, regardless of their social or economic situation and their cultural or ethnic background, are given equal opportunities to access education and participate in society. To achieve this equality of opportunity, it is essential in the view of Stiftung Mercator to change the way diversity is handled in key areas of society and to give people the right to equal opportunity education. By encouraging people to embrace difference and diversity, and by promoting exchange and encounters between those of different backgrounds, the foundation wants to contribute to greater social cohesion. In addition, it supports the development of viable integration policy approaches at state and municipal levels that will make it easier for newly arrived migrants to settle, that will improve their access to the labour market, and will therefore enable them to participate in society.

More on our work in Participation and Cohesion