First worldwide study on the engineering sciences -- comprehensive
research covering innovation trends, academic education, career paths
and economic significance
DARMSTADT, Germany and HANOVER, Germany, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ --
Continental AG in conjunction with eight internationally renowned universities
today launched the Global Engineering Excellence Initiative. This unique
collaboration will study the influence and importance of technological
expertise and education on the competitiveness of nations, people, and
companies. At the heart of this initiative is a comprehensive study designed
to reflect a broad spectrum of topics dealing with all aspects of engineering
and natural sciences. The study will cover the following research areas:
-- Competitiveness and technology.
-- Career paths of graduates in scientific and engineering disciplines.
-- How first-rate engineering and science education are designed and
implemented.
-- The development of future trends in these fields.
-- How a successful interchange of knowledge can be promoted between
universities and companies.
Participating universities include Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(ETH) Zurich, Switzerland; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
Boston, United States; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United
States; Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil; The University of Tokyo, Japan; and
Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University, China. The project is
being led by the Technische Universitat Darmstadt (TUD), Germany. "We're very
proud to take up a big challenge like this together with our prestigious
partners," said TUD President, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johann-Dietrich Worner, on
Friday in Darmstadt at the official kick-off meeting.
"Collaboration with excellent partners to achieve common goals is a strong
part of Continental's business culture," said Thomas Sattelberger, Board
Member responsible for Human Resources at Continental.
"So it is in that spirit that the Global Engineering Excellence Initiative
we announced today partners with prestigious universities around the world.
They are the incubators for tomorrow's innovation and economic vitality.
Continental fosters investing in better technological expertise and education
on a worldwide scale to promote talent and knowledge networks."
According to Sattelberger, "Technology is the driving force in today's
international marketplace, advancing with a phenomenal pace. We can just let
it unfold, or better understand the dynamics and seek to influence them. For
example, we think it's important to apply resources to better prepare the next
generation of engineers and scientists. This will stimulate economic growth
and provide optimal benefit for the world community."
TUD President Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johann-Dietrich Worner pointed out the core
questions of the study: "We want to identify, for example, success factors for
the development of engineers based on an international comparison. Do they
differ? Is there such a thing as the engineer? How are graduates of technical
sciences looked upon? Is there a 'critical mass' of technical scientists
needed for competitive economies? How many patents are there, and what is the
patent focus in different countries? How and where does cooperation between
science, industry and business take place, and what are the formulas for its
success? We also want to examine product development cycles to look for trends
within the various engineering disciplines, and identify which are taking the
lead."
Continental AG is providing funding for this scientific project. The
company itself invested more than half a billion euros in its research and
development in 2004, with R&D staff accounting for more than 5,000 of the
total workforce of about 81,000 employees.
The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of brake systems,
chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In
2004 the corporation realized sales of EUR12.6 billion. At present it has a
worldwide workforce of more than 81,000.
Information about the initiative you find on the internet under:
http://www.global-engineering-excellence.org and the Corporate Image and Video
Library of Continental under: http://www.conti-online.com
SOURCE Continental AG
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Related links:
http://www.conti-online.com
http://www.contitevesna.com
http://www.global-engineering-excellence.org
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/437525.html
CONTACT:
Dr. Heimo Prokop, Director Corporate
Communications, +49 511 938-1485, Fax -1055, Email:
prkonzern@conti.de , or Hannes Boekhoff, Head of Press, +49 511
938-1278, Fax -1055, Email: prkonzern@conti.de , both of
Continental AG
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