A new explanatory film provides insights into how the application procedure works. On this occasion, we talked to Dr. Henrike Hartmann, Head of the Volkswagen Foundation's Funding Department, about what is taken into account in the review process and what applicants should bear in mind to be successful with their research proposal.

Together with partners throughout Europe, the Volkswagen Foundation is supporting eight international teams of researchers seeking solutions to social inequality – which a total of 11.6 million euros. From Germany, researchers from Berlin, Braunschweig, Freiburg, Göttingen, Kiel, Cologne and Munich are involved.

In what ways is artificial intelligence (AI) impacting on our society? How can productively handle the population’s reservations towards AI applications? A conversation between the AI expert Fruszina Molnár-Gábor and the new Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation, Georg Schütte.

Successful "Experiment!": Researchers have come up with a solution for efficient sonar measurements for robots and self-driving cars, inspired by a special coevolution between bats and flowers.

Dr. Georg Schütte became Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation on January 1, 2020. He took over from Dr. Wilhelm Krull, who retired oat the end of December, 2019. Schütte previously held the position of State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and now he has some ambitious plans for the Volkswagen Foundation going forward.

Epidemiologist Debarati Guha-Sapir gives insights, how data analysis can help to adapt to extreme weather events and even prevent deaths.