Fritz Thyssen Foundation

The Fritz Thyssen Stiftung was founded on July 7, 1959, by Amélie Thyssen and her daughter Countess Anita Zichy-Thyssen in memory of August and Fritz Thyssen.
The Foundation was the first private foundation dedicated to the support of scholarship and research to be established after World War II in the Federal Republic of Germany, and has its office in Cologne.

The Aims of the Foundation

The sole purpose of the Foundation according to its statutes is the direct support of research and scholarship in universities and research institutes, primarily in Germany, with special emphasis on the support of young scholars.

The Foundation concentrates its activities on the support of specific research projects to be carried out in predictable periods of time - projects which must fit into the Foundation´s programme of support as well as lie within its financial possibilities. It also supports small academic conferences, provides stipends for young scholars who have completed a doctoral degree, finances several international stipends and exchange programmes, and supports to a limited extent the publication of the results of projects which it has furthered.

The activities of the Foundation are described in its annual report. Notes to applicants are regularly sent out, and suggestions and project proposals considered; beyond this, the Foundation itself defines particular areas of emphasis and suggests research projects to experienced scholars working in these areas. The Foundation welcomes the inclusion of foreign scholars in the projects which it supports, and organises academic conferences and lecture series. In addition, it has planned and organized a number of model programmes to further particularly competent young scholars and researchers.
The Foundation itself has no research or teaching institutes, and on principle it supports no projects which relate to areas from which the Foundation receives its income.