Bayer to invest in Tongji University
By YANG CHENG (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-04-03 16:36
Bayer, the world's pharmaceutical and chemical giant, has recently announced
it will invest US$1 million in the Shanghai-based Tongji University over the
next five years to establish professorship and scholarship on environmental
protection.
"This is an important part and a milestone of the
Bayer-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Partnership Programme, aiming
at raising the youth's awareness of environmental protection," said UNEP
Executive Director Klaus Topfer.
Through the understanding of memorandum
between Bayer and Tongji University, Bayer will support the initiative with
funding and non-cash contributions worth US$1 million for an initial period of
five years.
"The co-operation enables both sides to offer international
students a first-class programme of studies in the area of environmental
protection," said Wan Gang, president of the Tongji University.
It will
accept graduate students for a course of study specializing in the environment
and sustainable development, and will be the first time UNEP has joined hands
with a university on a postgraduate programme.
By signing a partnership
agreement with UNEP in June 2004 on the youth programme, Bayer became the first
private-sector partner with UNEP in the field of youth-oriented environmental
programmes, with an initial length of three years to globalize the two parties'
previous collaboration in Asia.
Since then, Bayer has teamed up with UNEP
to develop youth networks in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and to establish a
global environmental summit attended every two years by about 200 delegates from
national youth environmental organizations around the world.
Further
joint initiatives include a global children's painting competition that takes
place each year in connecting with World Environment Day and Tunza, the
quarterly magazine published for youths.
Bayer not only provides the
funding of 1 million euro (US$1.2 million) annually for these joint activities,
but also implements them, together with its own projects.
Each year,
about 50 "Youth Environmental Envoys" from 16 countries in Asia, Latin America,
Africa and East Europe participate in a study trip to Germany. To date, a total
of 5,000 youngsters have applied for the envoy programmes and entered tough
competitions.
In a scientific forum taking place every two years in the
Asia-Pacific region, students of various disciplines meet with professors to
develop practical concepts for sustainability issues.
An annual
photography competition held in several East European countries helps local
people increase their awareness of ecology and the environment.
"Of
particular emphasis in the programme is to help the young people's demands and
proposals to be taken into account in the political decision-making process. A
list of such demands was therefore given to the participants of last year's
annual United Nations Conference of Environment Ministers," Topfer
said.
"The co-operation with UNEP as well as the Tongji University are an
expression of our corporate social responsibility of committing ourselves to the
society's sustainable development," said Udo Oels, member of the Board of
Management of Bayer.
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