423 Deutschlandstipendium Scholarships

“Last year, we had to make do with an online ceremony, but I'm happy that we can go back to our usual face-to-face format this year. I do think it’s much better this way. It was clear to see that RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger was pleased to be able to welcome numerous scholarship recipients and donors in person at Aachen City Hall again. For the tenth time now, the historic setting of Aachen City Hall offered a truly festive backdrop for the awarding of the Deutschlandstipendien from the RWTH Education Fund. With 423 Deutschlandstipendium grants, the number of the previous funding period was exceeded by more than 13.5 percent. 290 scholarship holders were in attendance to receive their scholarship certificates from their sponsors. In total, 70 donors and sponsoring institutions with 180 representatives accepted the invitation to the Coronation Hall. After the presentation of the award certificates, the scholarship recipients and the scholarship donors had ample opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere.

As part of the Deutschlandstipendium, scholarship recipients have the opportunity to connect with the donors on a personal level and to network with each other. In a conversation with RWTH press officer and host Thorsten Karbach, Linda Seuken and Leo Blöcher from the team of Deutschlandstipendium spokespersons gave an account of the numerous joint activities such as cultural events, get-togethers, and summer parties, but also networking with scholarship recipients from other universities. “This creates friendships that last beyond university,” said Linda Seuken.

Many companies, such as Saint-Gobain, have made repeat donations to the Education Fund: “Saint-Gobain has been supporting the Education Fund for many years – and gladly so!” For our company, it is a question of social responsibility here in the Aachen region, where we have several branches. At the same time, we place great emphasis on promoting young talent. Graduates from RWTH are always welcome to join us. It is all the more rewarding when we succeed in recruiting talent for the long term as a result of the scholarship program. I myself studied at RWTH Aachen University and still have close ties with my alma mater. I always find the award ceremony in the Coronation Hall of Aachen City Hall a very special event,“ said Viola Neus, head of management development at Saint Gobain.

But private individuals such as RWTH alumnus Christoph Röper also actively contribute to the Education Fund: “It feels natural to me to give back to the University. The Deutschlandstipendium is an ideal opportunity for this. I still feel well-connected to my alma mater in Aachen – I am an RWTH graduate and my father was a professor there. Later, after graduating, I always had the feeling that I owed my professional successes in no small part to the University. In addition, I think fostering talent is very important because they are our future."

Matching Challenge Pilot Project

Although the Deutschlandstipendium is a long established program, there was one novelty this year: In the middle of the year, the call went out to RWTH alumni to participate in a Matching Challenge. The goal was to reach a target of 18,000 euros with the total donations collected, so that two so-called matching partners, private or corporate, would double the total sum. The total amount of 36,000 euros was supposed to be doubled by the German Ministry of Education and Research – as is customary with the Deutschlandstipendium – so that 20 additional scholarships could be awarded.

A big thank you to our supporters!

Donations from 280 generous alumni not only reached the 18,000 euro mark, but even surpassed it by more than 12,000 euros! As a result, a total of 30,194 euros was collected by mid-August. Thanks to the generous donations and the two matching partners, the Education Fund was able to award a total of 27 additional Germany scholarships to students at RWTH Aachen University. "I think we should continue with this initiative," said RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger, who was very pleased with the outcome. The RWTH Education Fund Team is delighted by the great support given to the Matching Challenge Pilot Project and the Deutschlandstipendium and would like to thank our supporters for each and every donation.