Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
About the funder
The Carl Zeiss Foundation is a non-profit funding and investment foundation based in Stuttgart. It was founded in 1889 by the physicist and entrepreneur Ernst Abbe and has since pursued the goal of supporting science, research, and teaching in the key areas of Artificial Intelligence, Resource Efficiency, and Life Science Technologies. As the sole owner of the technology corporations ZEISS and SCHOTT, the foundation focuses on long-term, interdisciplinary collaborations and projects – ranging from small funding initiatives to large individual projects and cross-location CZS centers. Through strategic funding programs and endowed professorships, it promotes cutting-edge research in Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as beyond.
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Mission & Vision
The Carl Zeiss Foundation pursues the mission of promoting innovative research in the service of society and the environment. It aims to strengthen excellent scientific collaborations, support emerging talents, and advance the transfer of knowledge between science, industry, and society. In doing so, it is guided by the principles of its founder Ernst Abbe: the unity of research and production as well as the commitment to social progress.
Target groups
The funding programs of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung are primarily aimed at universities, universities of applied sciences, and non-university research institutions in Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, and Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, professors, junior research group leaders, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, and established research teams from across Germany and abroad may apply for funding. The foundation also supports interdisciplinary exchange in STEM subjects as well as outreach and transfer projects for science communication.