Social commitment

Companies are part of the society in which they operate. We accept the responsibility that this involves, supporting people and institutions committed to helping others, and initiating new projects ourselves.

Our commitment to social issues focuses above all on three areas. We support research and teaching, help people in difficult life situations and promote the cultural enrichment of our society.

For scientific progress in society

Societies are dependent on scientific knowledge. It is with this in mind that we have sponsored the internet portal www.mathematik.de of the German Mathematicians Association (dmw) for over three years now. This informative, lively and instructive website is directed at all those interested in the science of numbers and spaces. As an insurance enterprise, promoting mathematics is of vital interest to us.

Munich Re supports young academics and scientists with various initiatives and projects. Since its foundation in 1992, the Munich University Society has been housed rentfree on Munich Re premises. As the largest foundation of its type in Germany, it supports research and teaching at scientific institutes of higher education. We not only support this work in material form - we have also had close personal links with the society since its formation.

There is hardly any discipline with such a long-standing internationality as science, one of the reasons it is sponsored worldwide by Munich Re. This year, for instance, a new Chair of Insurance began its work at the renowned University of Waterloo in Canada, thanks to Munich Reinsurance Company Canada Branch (Life). In Italy, our reinsurance subsidiary Münchener Rück Italia S.p.A. supports talented graduates from the University of Bocconi in Milan by financing part of their postgraduate studies in the areas of insurance and risk management.

Munich Re helps people in need

Our social commitment is not limited to the academic and scientific field. We also sponsor and aid people in social difficulties who are dependent on others' help. The Munich society "Schwestern und Brüder vom heiligen Benedikt Labre" (Sisters and Brothers of St. Benedict Labre) offers homeless people practical assistance and a roof over their heads. Last year we helped the society convert a newly acquired building for this purpose. People with serious illnesses are also dependent on the help of others. Cancer is still one of the scourges of our society. Since 1996 our subsidiary Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada has been sponsoring breast cancer research and the provision of education and information on this insidious disease.

Munich Re also supports initiatives for self-help in Africa, i.e. schemes that do not give rise to new dependencies but promote long-term independence. In Ghana, we are partnering the drilling of a well, with simultaneous training for local people in developing a water supply for themselves. In Nairobi, Kenya, our African subsidiary Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa-Ltd. is sponsoring a school for disadvantaged children as part of a new initiative.

Voluntary work pays

But not only our companies help people in need. Our staff are pulling in the same direction. We are happy to support their initiatives, such as the sola relay race in Zurich, where two Munich Re teams ran many miles for a good cause last year. The amount they raised was added to by us, the resultant donation going to the "Münchner Pfennigparade", a rehabilitation centre for the physically disabled. Another example: On the initiative of our Singapore office, staff from throughout the Munich Re Group gave money to support local medical teams in their work for the victims of the flood disaster in South Asia, and we also increased this donation. At our primary insurance subsidiary victoria, staff organise aid for children from war-torn regions. They donate a few cents from their salaries each month and the company doubles this amount.

Dedicated to culture

People cannot and should not be considered purely in terms of their economic and social needs. Consequently our social commitment also includes culture. We support the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, for example, and the Bavarian State Opera. The youth orchestra is giving classical music a new lease of life at a very high level, whilst the traditional opera house is showing unique initiative in the new directions it is taking. We sponsor the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in its concert tours, one of which took these highly talented musicians to St. Petersburg last year, for example. In the case of the Bavarian State Opera, we are members of a sponsorship group made up of representatives from trade and industry. Here we want not only to strengthen the exchange between culture and industry but also to develop new opportunities for partnership. Initiatives like that with the State Opera extend our economic activities, underscoring our sustained commitment in another way.

Munich Re Foundation

"From Knowledge to Action" - under this motto, Munich Re set up the Munich Re Foundation in April 2005, intensifying its efforts on behalf of people who are exposed to risks arising from population development, urbanisation, water scarcity, and climate and environmental changes. The foundation's primary objective is to minimise people's risks, particularly in developing countries. It thinks and works in a networked fashion, clarifying issues, bringing experts together and providing direct help.

The Munich Re Foundation has an asset base of €50m, income from which is used to fund the foundation's activities. The foundation's assets are managed in line with environmental and sustainability criteria to ensure long-term sustainability of investment income.

Hans-Jürgen Schinzler Foundation

Practical help through our staff is the guiding principle of the Dr. Hans-Jürgen Schinzler Foundation, set up last year. Founded from within our company, its objective is to promote the voluntary work of our staff. It is intended to be a platform for those who help others through private initiative. The foundation is geared to making it easier for them to get in contact with like-minded individuals and to provide mutual support. The foundation received official recognition as a charitable institution from the supervisory body of the Government of Upper Bavaria on 30 June 2005.