What Werner Siemens-Stiftung does

Werner Siemens-Stiftung is a private Swiss charitable foundation (gemischte Stiftung) headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, established in 1923 by Charlotte and Marie Siemens to support Siemens family descendants in hardship and, over the following decades, redirected toward funding outstanding scientific research. Today the foundation operates as a philanthropic, grant-giving institution that funds long-term, high-Technology-Readiness-Level (TRL > 3) research projects in technical and natural sciences, primarily at universities and research institutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its research portfolio spans III-V multi-junction tandem photovoltaics at Fraunhofer ISE (achieving 47.6 percent solar cell conversion efficiency), synthetic biotechnology at the Technical University of Munich, robot-guided laser bone surgery (MIRACLE) at University of Basel, deep geothermal energy and cyber trust at ETH Zurich, and personalized tumor imaging at the University of Tübingen. The foundation also supports STEM talent through programs such as Swiss TecLadies and the AFOTEC / AFBAT technical vocational training initiatives in Valais (93 percent apprenticeship completion rate).

Name

Werner Siemens-Stiftung

Legal name

Werner Siemens-Stiftung

Website

https://wernersiemens-stiftung.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Werner Siemens-Stiftung is a private Swiss charitable foundation established in 1923 and based in Zug, which funds long-term, high-TRL technical and natural-sciences research projects at leading universities and research institutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Scientific research funding
• STEM education grants
• Technical innovation grants
• Nonprofit research foundation
• Talent development fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: The Werner Siemens-Stiftung is a philanthropic foundation that provides grants and funding to outstanding research projects in technical and natural sciences. As a charitable foundation, it does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Werner Siemens-Stiftung is a Swiss charitable foundation that funds outstanding long-term research projects (typically 5–8+ years) and STEM-talent development in technical and natural sciences. Through multi-million-euro and Swiss-franc grants awarded to universities and research institutions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it supports projects with high technology readiness levels (TRL > 3) and clear industrial application potential, while also running fellowships and mentoring programs (e.g., Swiss TecLadies) to promote young STEM talent.

Product overview

Werner Siemens-Stiftung is a Swiss foundation established in 1923 that provides funding for outstanding innovative research projects in technology and natural sciences, primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The foundation funds various research centers and projects spanning areas such as solar energy, quantum systems, medical imaging, synthetic biotechnology, and deep-sea environmental monitoring. The foundation does not commercialize products but rather supports research through grants and endowments at universities and research institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Efficiency Tandem Photovoltaics Research Grant (Sustainable Energy Transition) Multi-year research grant program supporting the development of high-efficiency III-V multi-junction (tandem) solar cells for sustainable energy transition, awarded to Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE with €14M over 2025–2032.
• Molecular Quantum Systems (MolQ) Research Grant Funded research program on molecular quantum systems hosted at ETH Zurich, supporting quantum-technology research including the WSS-Forschungszentrum catalaix in Aachen for circular chemistry via Knallgas (hydrogen-oxidizing) bacteria.
• MIRACLE Robot-Guided Laser Bone Surgery Research Grant Multi-year research grant (CHF 15.2M, 2014–2027) awarded to the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel to develop robot-guided laser systems for minimally invasive bone surgery, including sensors and virtual-reality-based surgical planning software.
• Swiss TecLadies Mentoring Programme STEM talent-development program providing structured mentoring to girls aged 13–16 to encourage them to pursue technical careers, supported with CHF 900,000 of seed funding from the foundation over 2017–2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects funded have achieved significant breakthroughs including 47.6% solar cell efficiency record
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Max Planck SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Institutional partnership with Prof. Gerald Haug as director at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and scientific advisory board member.
• AirbusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Industry partner for synthetic biotechnology research at Technical University of Munich, exploring applications of biotechnological innovations.
• SiemenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Historical connection through the Siemens family; industry partner supporting synthetic biotechnology research with potential for industrial applications.
• EvonikminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Industry partner for synthetic biotechnology project, contributing to the development of sustainable chemical processes.
• ClariantminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Industry partner collaborating on sustainable biotechnology solutions and chemical production processes.
• Max Planck Institute for ChemistryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Academic partner in Mainz for climate geochemistry research as part of the scientific network.
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Host institution for multiple WSS-funded projects including deep geothermal energy research, Centre for Cyber Trust, and MedTech programs.
• EPFLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Academic partner with Prof. Peter Seitz serving on scientific advisory board; quantum technology research collaboration.
• University of Prince Edward Island (Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016International academic partner for synthetic biotechnology research collaboration.
• University of Queensland (Australia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016International academic partner in synthetic biotechnology research network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Germany's leading applied research organization. Comparable as a key recipient/administration partner in WSS's grantmaking ecosystem; WSS directly funds Fraunhofer ISE with €14M. They are more of an institutional grantee and applied-research operator than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Fritz Thyssen Foundation: German family-linked foundation supporting research in science, economic history, and medicine. Directly comparable as a DACH-based private non-profit foundation providing university research grants with similar mission and grant size ranges.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Switzerland's primary government-backed research funding agency. Comparable as a Swiss-based grantmaking organization funding scientific research at universities, but operates as public rather than private foundation.
• Robert Bosch Stiftung: One of Germany's largest foundations, with strong historical ties to the Bosch industrial family; funds science, education, and social research. Comparable as a major DACH family-linked foundation funding university research and STEM talent programs with substantial grantmaking capacity.
• VolkswagenStiftung: German non-profit foundation funding cutting-edge research in science, technology, and higher education. Directly comparable as a DACH-region philanthropic research grantmaker with similar large multi-year project funding model and scientific advisory board governance.
• Klaus Tschira Stiftung: German foundation funding natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science education and research. Directly comparable as a DACH non-profit foundation supporting STEM research at universities with similar multi-million-euro grant sizes.
• Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung: Large German non-profit foundation focused on medical research funding and humanitarian projects. Directly comparable as a family/founder-linked foundation providing substantial multi-year grants to universities and research institutions.
• Daimler und Benz Stiftung: German foundation funding academic and applied research with Daimler-Benz industrial heritage. Comparable as a DACH industrial-heritage philanthropic foundation supporting university research with industry ties.
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: German non-profit promoting international academic cooperation and supporting scholarly research. Comparable as a major German research-focused foundation; differs by emphasizing fellowship/researcher support rather than institution-level project grants.

Broad incumbents

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest philanthropic foundation globally, funding science, health, and education with multi-billion-dollar grantmaking capacity. Comparable as a science-grantmaking foundation at much greater scale; useful as a benchmark on foundation scale and research translation models but otherwise a clear largest-in-category incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wss_Stiftung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/werner-siemens-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Werner Siemens-Stiftung