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Great interest for WSS “project of the century”
The ideas competition for a WSS Research Centre dedicated to exploring “technologies for the sustainable use of resources” has generated an enormous echo: 123 researchers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have submitted project proposals. The Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board is now reviewing the applications.
That the WSS “project of the century” would attract a great deal of interest comes as no surprise to Professor Matthias Kleiner, former president of the German Research Foundation and Leibniz Association and long-serving member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Werner Siemens Foundation. “But the 123 submissions have exceeded even my high expectations.”
In consultation with a team of experts with broad experience in assessing research projects, the Scientific Advisory Board is now reviewing the projects and will make a recommendation to the Foundation Board and the Siemens Family Advisory Board by the end of March. The two executive bodies will then choose up to five proposals, all of which will receive a WSS research prize of one million Swiss francs. The prize winners must then submit their detailed plans for the WSS Research Centre; the final decision is expected to be communicated in January 2024.
100 million Swiss francs in funding
The Werner Siemens Foundation will grant the winning project an endowment of a total of 100 million Swiss francs over ten years to set up and operate the new WSS Research Centre. The future WSS Research Centre—located either in Germany, Austria or Switzerland—is dedicated to seeking and developing new technologies for a sustainable use of natural resources.
The Werner Siemens Foundation sees the ideas competition as an opportunity to mark its centennial anniversary in 2023 by actively promoting sustainable use of our planet’s resources. Energy, air, water, food, habitats and raw materials are all limited natural supplies that must be used and managed with great care. The world of science can—and must—do its part in meeting the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations.
Potential topics for the centre include findings and technologies from the entire scope of natural and engineering sciences that contribute to realising the SDGs. The range of ideas submitted is accordingly broad. “I’m looking forward to seeing the bold and original proposals that make the short list and are awarded a prize”, says Matthias Kleiner.
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The WSS Research Centre dedicated to exploring “technologies for the sustainable use of resources” has generated great interest: a total of 123 project proposals were submitted. The Werner Siemens Foundation will endow the winning project with a ten-year grant of one hundred million Swiss francs.
