In 1986, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the invention of the automobile, the Daimler-Benz Corporation (now the Daimler Corporation) established "The Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz Foundation", in memory of both of the company's founders. In 2010, it was renamed in "The Daimler and Benz Foundation".
Clarification of the interplay of forces between humanity, technology, and the environment: the Daimler and Benz Foundation contributes to this objective by promoting interdisciplinary research. It takes up ideas from science, the economy, and society, and makes their more detailed scientific investigation possible.
In the fellowship program, "Villa Ladenburg", international and interdisciplinary cooperation of experts from Germany and abroad, and from various research fields, in the subject area of Mobility and Society will in future be sponsored. It is the Daimler and Benz Foundation's cornerstone, and is a central program for developing the foundation further − structurally, and in content. In the research programs "Ladenburg Discourse" and "Ladenburg Collegium", problem areas, such as environmental protection as a purpose of state, the safety of technology, change in the lifeworld, the city as settlement- and living space, the pervasion of daily life by modern technologies, are studied from different points of view. The "Innovation Forum" understands itself as an interface between theory and practice, and offers a platform for discussion between scientists and young managers. In this series of symposia held in Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Berlin, the foundation presents scientific results to the public. In the "Berlin Colloquium", topics of general interest in society, such as the measurability of beauty, or the basis of human decision-making, are interdisciplinarily discussed.With a fellowship program for the sponsorship of postdoctoral scientists and junior professors, the foundation supports young researchers.
In presenting scientific results, the foundation wants to contribute to society's future development, free of political affiliations. In this endeavour, it orients itself on a value-free understanding of science, and sees itself as a provider of fresh impetus for the Knowledge Society. With the annual "Bertha Benz Lecture", the foundation acknowledges in the Metropolitan Region outstanding contributions by women to science, politics, and society. Since 2009, it awards the – likewise annually offered – "Bertha Benz Prize", endowed with
€ 10,000, with which young female scientists are honored, who, with their dissertation, have made an outstanding contribution in the field of engineering sciences.
| Name | The Daimler and Benz Foundation |
| Founded in |
1986 |
| Legal form |
Foundation with independent legal existence under public law |
| Founder |
The Daimler-Benz Corporation (now the Daimler Corporation) |
| Seat | Stuttgart |
| Seat of the business office |
Ladenburg, Berlin office in Haus Huth |
| Endowment | € 125 million |
| Contact | Dr. Joerg Klein (CEO), Dr.-Carl-Benz-Platz 2, D-68526 Ladenburg |
The new Fellowship Program of the Foundation
Download of the announcement of the fellowship 
in the English version
Online applicantion is now possible.
Please visit our Online Application System
For further information please contact Susanne Hallenberger
or Dr. Jörg Klein
06203-1092-0
info@daimler-benz-stiftung.de
