What Schering Stiftung does

Schering Stiftung is an independent charitable foundation under civil law (Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts), headquartered at Unter den Linden 32-34 in Berlin, Germany. Founded circa 2002 following Bayer AG's 2006 acquisition of Schering AG, the foundation carries the legacy of Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering (1824-1889), the pioneering German pharmacist whose enterprise became the global Schering AG. The foundation operates a hybrid programming model focused on life sciences and contemporary art, run by a small team of 1-10 employees led by Managing Director Dr. Jörg Maxton-Küchenmeister, under the supervisory oversight of the Berlin Senate Administration for Justice and Consumer Protection.

Its core programmatic offerings include the prestigious Ernst Schering Prize (awarded 2026 to Henrik Kaessmann for gene regulation evolution research), the Schering Young Investigator Award (2026 to Can Aztekin for regenerative biology), the newly launched ScheringPlus Fellowships (first cohort in 2026), a Projektraum exhibition space offering free admission, an art collection, an extensive publications series (2010-2022), and public events including lectures, workshops, and symposia. The foundation is operatively active, meaning it develops and executes its own programs rather than functioning as a grant-making body accepting open applications; funding applications are accepted only in response to specific calls for proposals.

The business model is endowment-funded: the foundation is sustained by its endowment assets and does not charge for its programs, exhibitions, events, or most funding opportunities. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs through the Berlin Projektraum, digital channels (website, newsletter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), public events, international residency partnerships (in Italy, Lithuania, Germany, Albania, and Ukraine), and bilateral collaborations with institutions including Akademie der Künste, JUNGE AKADEMIE, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Deutsche Stiftung Schlaf, and Villa Massimo. The foundation serves three primary persona segments: life sciences researchers (particularly young investigators), contemporary artists working at the art-science intersection, and the general public engaging through exhibitions and educational programming.

Name

Schering Stiftung

Legal name

Schering Stiftung

Website

https://scheringstiftung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schering Stiftung is a Berlin-based independent charitable foundation that supports life sciences research through the Ernst Schering Prize, Young Investigator Award, and ScheringPlus Fellowships, while running a Projektraum exhibition space, art collection, and publications bridging contemporary art and science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Life sciences research funding
• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Science prize administration
• Research fellowships and grants
• Cultural education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment Income: The Schering Stiftung operates as a charitable foundation funded through its endowment assets. The foundation is operatively active with its focus on own projects and programs in life sciences and art. Funding applications are not accepted except for current calls for proposals.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schering Stiftung is a Berlin-based charitable foundation that funds life sciences research through prestigious awards and fellowships, supports contemporary art via a curated exhibition project space and art prizes, and promotes interdisciplinary dialogue between science and art through cultural and scientific education programs. Its sellable offerings include the Ernst Schering Prize, a Young Investigator Award, research fellowships, an art project space with rotating exhibitions, and contemporary art prizes.

Product overview

Schering Stiftung is a charitable foundation under civil law based in Berlin, Germany, focused on promoting life sciences and art. The foundation operates as a funding organization rather than a product company. Its primary offerings include research funding programs (such as the Ernst Schering Prize, Schering Young Investigator Award, and ScheringPlus Fellowships), an exhibition project space for art and science intersections, an art collection, public events and symposia, and publications documenting its activities. The foundation does not offer commercial products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ernst Schering Prize An annual prestigious prize awarded by Schering Stiftung to recognize outstanding achievements in life sciences research. It is intended for individual researchers whose work has made significant contributions to biomedical and life sciences inquiry.
• Schering Young Investigator Award An award program by Schering Stiftung that recognizes and supports promising early-career researchers in the life sciences, providing funding and visibility to young investigators.
• Schering Stiftung Fellowships Fellowship grants awarded by Schering Stiftung to support life sciences researchers in pursuing independent research projects. The fellowships provide financial support to individual scientists.
• Projektraum (Project Space) A physical exhibition project space in Berlin operated by Schering Stiftung that hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions, often engaging themes at the intersection of art and science. It serves as a curatorial platform for artists and an accessible cultural venue for the public.
• Contemporary Art Awards Art prizes administered by Schering Stiftung that recognize contemporary artists whose work engages with scientific themes or the intersection of art and science.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ernst Schering Prize awarded annually to leading life sciences researchers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JUNGE AKADEMIEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Collaborative partnership for the 'Songs of Serpents – Art, Landscape, Ecofeminism(s)' symposium exploring intersection of art, ecology, and ecofeminism through artist residencies.
• Akademie der KünstecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Co-organizer of 'Songs of Serpents' symposium and residency program, hosting events at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.
• Deutsche Stiftung Schlaf (German Sleep Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for 'Sleep: Insights into Practice, Prevention and Research' workshop, bringing together sleep researchers and the public.
• Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for sleep research events and lectures. Dr. Martin Glos from Charité presented at the foundation's sleep workshop.
• Villa Serpentara (Akademie der Künste)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidency location in Olevano, Romano (Italy) as part of the Songs of Serpents Ecopoetic Zones exchange project.
• Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidency location in Lithuania as part of the Songs of Serpents Ecopoetic Zones exchange project.
• Künstlerhäuser WorpswedeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidency location in Germany as part of the Songs of Serpents Ecopoetic Zones exchange project.
• Galeria e BregdetitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidency location in Albania as part of the Songs of Serpents Ecopoetic Zones exchange project.
• Khata-Maysternya / Asortymentna KimnataminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist collective and residency location in Ukraine as part of the Songs of Serpents Ecopoetic Zones exchange project.
• Villa Massimo (Deutsche Akademie Rom)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated partner of the Songs of Serpents residency program, providing additional support for artist exchanges.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO): European organization funding life sciences researchers via installation grants, fellowships, and awards to young investigators. Directly comparable on the life sciences award/fellowship side (parallel to Schering Young Investigator Award and ScheringPlus Fellowships).
• Wellcome Trust: UK-based global charitable foundation supporting discovery research in life and health sciences, plus public engagement with science. Directly comparable in funding life sciences researchers and bridging science/society, though at vastly greater scale.
• Volkswagen Stiftung: One of Germany's largest science and humanities foundations, funding research across disciplines including life sciences and supporting dialogue between science and society. Broadly comparable mission and German operating base, but at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: Major German foundation funding science, education, health, and international relations. Operates multiple programmatic areas similar to Schering's hybrid science-and-society portfolio, but at much larger scale and broader thematic spread.

Direct peers

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: US biomedical research organization supporting individual scientists and running investigator awards analogous to the Ernst Schering Prize and Young Investigator Award. Comparable as a life sciences research funder focused on investigator recognition and supporting emerging researchers.
• Fritz Thyssen Stiftung: German foundation supporting research in science, humanities, and social sciences. Comparable as a Cologne-based German research foundation with similar funding categories, though with less emphasis on art-science intersection.
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: US foundation supporting scientific research, science education, and public understanding of science — including arts and culture intersections. Comparable in combining science research funding with cultural/public engagement programming.
• Kulturstiftung des Bundes: German federal cultural foundation funding innovative international art projects, exhibitions, and residencies in Germany. Directly comparable as a German foundation funding contemporary art programming, artist residencies, and cultural exchange projects.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: US foundation supporting medical research, the arts, and environmental conservation. Comparable in combining life sciences research funding with an arts program, and in operating artist residencies (Doris Duke Shangri-La).

Emerging players

• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung: Berlin-based think tank/stiftung working at the intersection of technology, science, and society. Comparable operating base and interdisciplinary public-interest agenda, though oriented toward technology policy rather than art-science practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCm-onwqkCJ9o2iK3rpVk2fQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/scheringstiftung
• Instagraminstagram.com/scheringstiftung
• Xx.com/scheringstiftg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schering-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schering Stiftung