Specific Sponsors at TU Darmstadt

For more than 50 years now, the Fritz and Margot Faudi Foundation at the TU Darmstadt has been promoting research on global challenges in the areas of energy and the environment. The foundation has provided financial support to more than 100 research projects on methods to preserve the cleanliness of soil, air and water, to develop environmentally friendly production methods (integrated environmental protections) as well as on the development of environmentally friendly energies at the TU Darmstadt.

The Carlo und Karin Giersch Foundation was established at the TU Darmstadt in 1990 by Frankfurt industrialist Professor Carlo Giersch and his wife Karin. In June 2007 the Giersches donated equal shares in an office building in Darmstadt to the Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation at the TU and the Giersch Foundation in Frankfurt. The property is valued at 14 million euros.

Beyond its generous support, the Carlo und Karin Giersch Foundation also awards its annual E-Teaching Award. The prizes bring with them stipends of 12,000 euro in total. 2009 winners: Prof. Helmut F. Schlaak (Dr.-Ing), Felix Greiner (Dipl.-Ing.) and Dr. Guido Rößling

In 2010, the Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation will be awarding its first Athene Prize for Good Teaching at the TU Darmstadt. The prize brings with it 40,000 euros in total, and is intended as an annual distinction for persons, groups of persons or organizational units from all departments.

Starting in 2011 the Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation will be awarding a bi-annual Gender Equality Prize. The prize brings with it 25,000 euros to support best practice models for the recruiting of women in and for research and teaching at the TU Darmstadt.

For their long and exemplary philanthropic activity, the Giersch family was awarded the German Philanthropic Foundation Prize 2009.

The Dr. Hans Messer Foundation has been awarding its annual prize to young scientists at the TU Darmstadt since 1994. The prize (50,000 euros) serves to promote outstanding achievements in the areas of natural science, medicine, engineering and economics/social sciences.

The 20,000 euro Kurt Ruths Prize is awarded annually by the Ruths family of Cologne and the Ruths-Tillian family of Vienna in memory of the service performed by the former chairman of the board at the Braas Group, Kurt Ruths. It is oriented toward students in the departments of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Chemistry at the TU Darmstadt. 2011 winner: Mieke Pfarr, architecture.