To support founders in scaling their ventures and to underline the importance of societally and environmentally relevant business models, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt initiated the accelerator program RESPOND with support from Europe’s leading innovation and business creation center UnternehmerTUM.

Applications can be submitted between January 20 and March 1, 2020; the program starts on June 22, 2020.

RESPOND is a five-month program aimed at founders who use innovative technologies and entrepreneurial approaches to solve complex global challenges. In four face-to-face sprints in Munich, the founders participate in workshops on impact-oriented business, marketing, sales, financing and responsible management.

At a time when there is growing popular distrust in political authorities and European institutions, responsible leaders are needed more than ever to create opportunities for civic engagement. In order to increase their impact, it is essential to combine forces and build collaborations in the civic sector. To this end, the Responsible Leaders Table brings together like-minded non-state actors from across Europe for an immersive leadership program guided by the theme of trust-building and bonding.

The BMW Foundation promotes responsible leadership and inspires leaders worldwide to work towards a peaceful, just, and sustainable future in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Rooted in Germany and active all over the world, the BMW Foundation is taking a clear stance for the principles and goals of a united, strong, and people-driven Europe. We share this vision with our partners Alliance4Europe, who promote active citizenship and democratic values by connecting activists across Europe, and Das Progressive Zentrum, who aims at strengthening democratic dialogue within Germany and across borders.

Denkraum explores a positive vision of the future: Sustainable cities by 2030, in which a good life plays an essential part. The events are gathering leaders from the private, public, and civic society sectors to explore how European cities can address environmental, economic, and social challenges. After inspiring keynotes, participants will deep dive into innovations and challenges on several holistic topics, led by experts from various sectors, including multi-stakeholder governance, architecture, inclusion, food supply chains, waste to energy, and innovative logistics.

Participants will have the chance to reflect on innovative opportunities for Amsterdam as a city. A selection of contributions and solutions will be presented from each of the five European cities at a closing event in Munich in November 2020.

This is the first of our Denkraum 2020 series hosted in five European cities, and organized by the BMW Foundation in collaboration with Impact Hub.

At the BMW Foundation, we believe that people in positions of responsibility can play a major role in advancing positive social change in accordance with the 2030 Agenda. This is why we create spaces where leaders from government, business, civil society, academia, and culture meet as equals and can inspire each other to take their commitment to the next level.

For each Responsible Leaders Forum, we invite a carefully selected group of 40 leaders to different regions in the world. In Istanbul, a city of transitions and contrasts, we want to reflect on how we build bridges, both personally and professionally, and explore the potential this holds for our role as leaders.