Sponsoring Sustainable Ideas

Students at the International University in Bruchsal, Germany, have won the national competition of the student organization "Students In Free Enterprises" (SIFE), which is sponsored by Bayer. Their winning entries featured an introductory program for parents and babysitters and the construction of a solar energy system at a school for hearing-impaired children in Uganda.

National Competition of the Student Organization “Students In Free Enterprises”
17 teams comprising around 300 students took part in the competition in Düsseldorf. SIFE teams take part in a range of projects, cooperating with schools and social or cultural establishments. Or they offer advice to initiatives and new businesses whose activities have a sustainable and socially responsible background. “This gives students the opportunity to take on entrepreneurial responsibility and put their university education into practice in a business environment – until their cooperation partners can run the projects themselves,” explains Jörg Krell, President of SIFE Germany and Head of Bayer AG’s Corporate Office.

The winners from Bruchsal impressed the panel of judges with their ideas, which included obtaining financing, arranging servicing, and drawing up a professional business plan. The “ Schäfchenclub,” where parents looking for qualified childcare are put in contact with potential babysitters and the “Enlight Uganda” project, which provides electricity at a school for hearing-impaired children, earned the students a place at the SIFE World Cup in Singapore in the fall.

SIFE is a private, non-political, nonprofit organization that was founded in the United States in 1975. Today, SIFE is active at more than 2,000 universities in 48 countries across the globe, making it one of the biggest international student organizations in the world. Established in Germany in 2003, SIFE is now represented at 20 universities. Over 60 well-known German and international companies are currently involved in the SIFE program.