Science and Education

The right chemistry

In the past, children didn't begin learning foreign languages until their fifth year of school. Today, some children begin learning other languages as early as pre-school – because the earlier their talents are encouraged, the better. Bayer too has embraced this basic principle, and promotes science in schools. Some of our numerous projects around the world have since won awards and taken on model character.

Projects in Germany

Bayer has set up so-called "BayLabs" at various sites in Germany. These are laboratories in which schoolchildren have the opportunity to learn about chemistry and biology with practical and carefully prepared experiments and learning programs. For teachers, too, this is a welcome supplement to daily instruction.

Bayer has also supported a well-known research competition for German school students since it was launched in 1965 ("Jugend forscht"), and has organized the regional competition for North Rhine-Westphalia for the past 40 years.

The company also invites school classes to visit its production sites and offers internship opportunities, while teachers can order instruction materials. Further information on the offers available at the various Bayer locations in Germany can be found on the sites' homepages:
Leverkusen, Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Dormagen, Krefeld-Uerdingen, Brunsbüttel and Bitterfeld.

International projects

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Bayer joined with an educational organization to launch the Science for Life competition for schoolchildren. In Poland, Bayer cooperated with educators in the development of the "Eco-Class" learning program, which familiarizes schoolchildren with the basic idea of environmental protection. With the help of Proagro, the Indian subsidiary of Bayer CropScience, the "Learning For Life" project enables children to enroll in schools.

Making Science Make Sense® - an award-winning program from the United States

Through fascinating experiments, "Making Science Make Sense®" gives schoolchildren astounding insights into the processes on which life is based. The secret to the program's success is as simple as it is effective: Bayer employees visit the schools, accompanied by hands-on science – experiments that the students can conduct themselves.

In 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton presented the program with the "President's Service Award," the highest honor awarded for charitable work in the United States. In 2006 Bayer received the prestigious Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership for the Making Science Make Sense® program. This was the first time the presidential award was given to a company with global headquarters outside the U.S. and also to a chemical company.

Making Science Make Sense® celebrated the tenth anniversary of its founding in 2005. The scientific program, which is oriented around national educational guidelines and has since played a role in their revision, is offered at 12 Bayer sites in the United States. Bayer's U.S. employees have shown tremendous enthusiasm for the program: so far more than 1,200 staff members have visited schools to acquaint the children with science – every one of them on a volunteer basis. Former U.S. astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison heads up this educational initiative with tremendous dedication. So far more than one million schoolchildren and teachers have benefited from Making Science Make Sense®. Due to the program's success in the United States, Making Science Make Sense® has now been introduced to Japanese schools as well.