RAG-Stiftung

At its meeting on 23rd September 2025, the Board of Trustees of the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, appointed Kerstin Terhardt as the new Chief Financial Officer of the RAG-Stiftung (Figure 1). On 7th May 2026 she will succeed Jürgen Rupp, whose contract expires after two terms and a total of seven years on the RAG-Stiftung’s Executive Board.

Rupp is succeeded by Terhardt, a proven expert in the field of financial investment. She is currently a member of the management board of HSBC Asset Management Deutschland GmbH. Terhardt has over 20 years of experience in asset management for institutional and private investors. One of her areas of focus is sustainable investment strategies. Her contract with the RAG-Stiftung is for a fixed term of five years. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

The RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, has continued to work on the robustness and resilience of its portfolio under challenging conditions. The foundation was able to reliably fulfil its mission in 2024 and further strengthen its resilience. This was reported by the foundation’s board of directors on 2nd July 2025 during the annual press conference at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein in Essen

The figures for the past financial year were just as much a focus as developments in the current financial year.

“In difficult economic times, we cannot change the conditions, but we can do everything we can to adapt to them and deal with them. We did not start doing this in 2024. We plan with a long-term perspective, and that pays off,” emphasised Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of the Board of the RAG-Stiftung, during the annual press conference. Despite ongoing turbulence on the global markets, the foundation achieved an annual profit of 965 M € (previous year: 394 M €). Adjusted for the special effect of the sale of a block of Evonik shares in May 2024 worth 513 M €, the annual profit for 2024 still exceeded the target of 376 M € by 76 M €. This meant that around 1 bn € could be allocated to the provision for perpetual liabilities, which, after deducting expenses in 2024, now amounts to around 9.8 bn €.

The foundation’s assets decreased by 0.5 bn € compared to the previous year and amounted to 17 bn € at the end of 2024 (previous year: 17.5 bn €). However, given the severity of the turmoil in the world and on the markets, this decline was moderate and has already been partially offset. “We expect markets to remain highly volatile in the future,” emphasised Tönjes. “We are therefore focusing on three maxims: firstly, the ongoing diversification of our capital investments; secondly, reducing complexity in our strategic investments; and thirdly, further sharpening our return targets at acceptable risk levels. In short, our strategic triad is: diversification – focus – performance.”

The foundation spent 288 M € on perpetual obligations in 2024 (previous year: 266 M €). As in the previous year, the increase of around 20 M € was mainly due to a further rise in energy costs. Since the end of coal mining in Germany, the foundation’s expenditure on perpetual obligations as of 31st December 2024 now totals around 1.7 bn €. “The funds to fulfil our tasks have to be earned anew every year. We have been doing this with absolute reliability since 2019. Our total income consistently exceeds our expenditure – and the crises of recent years have not changed that,” said Jürgen Rupp, Chief Financial Officer of the RAG-Stiftung.

In total, the foundation invested over 700 M € in its capital investments last year. “The diversification of our investment portfolio is and remains a strategic goal in order to make the foundation model sustainable and weatherproof. We continue to prepare ourselves for challenging times, which we will counter with our increased strength,” said Rupp.

In the area of promoting education, science and culture, the RAG-Stiftung was again able to invest 32 M € in 2024. With its funding activities, it is tackling the pressing challenges of our time in its proven manner, including promoting democracy, combating socially-induced inequality in the education sector and loneliness among young people, and alleviating the shortage of skilled workers with a focus on STEM skills. “Our funding recipients know us as a reliable partner. Our board of trustees also appreciates this. Its members therefore agreed last year to increase our funding budget: 35 M €/a will be allocated to the promotion of education, science and culture from 2025 until initially 2027,” reported Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, member of the RAG-Stiftung’s Executive Board and responsible for human resources and the foundation’s funding activities. “This is a significant step and an expression of our Board of Trustees’ confidence in the Foundation’s funding work. In turbulent times, this means above all a measure of necessary stability for our funding recipients,” emphasised Bergerhoff-Wodopia.

“Diamonds are formed under pressure,” Tönjes summed up. “The pressure exerted on us and our investment portfolio as a result of the turbulence on the global markets is and remains high. But it drives us to continuously improve.” He emphasised that the new government must now quickly create the necessary conditions for the economy, Germany and Europe as a whole to regain strength. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

On 23rd July 2025, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche named the BRYCK Startup Alliance a German Startup Factory. The decision was announced during an awards ceremony at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) in Berlin/Germany. The consortium from the Ruhr region impressed a prominent jury in the BMWE’s nationwide EXIST flagship competition Startup Factories. As a result, the BRYCK Startup Alliance will receive millions in funding to establish a European deep tech hotspot in the Ruhr region.

The BRYCK Startup Alliance will receive multi-year funding of up to 10 M € and has set itself the goal of accelerating groundbreaking deep tech innovations in Germany and establishing a powerful, university- and industry-oriented start-up centre with international appeal. This will not only strengthen the Ruhr region as a start-up location – it will also make it a model region for Germany’s industrial future.

Philipp Herrmann, Managing Director of the BRYCK Startup Alliance: “This decision is historic. It is an opportunity to reinvent the Ruhr region – from an industrial heritage to a future powerhouse of Europe. With the Startup Factory, Germany’s new industrial engine is being created here – focused on deep tech and supported by genuine regional strength.”

The BRYCK Startup Alliance combines the strengths of the Ruhr region: the highest density of universities in Europe and the economic power of one of Europe’s most important industrial locations. It is based on a strong regional alliance between science, industry and capital: with the University Alliance Ruhr, three German universities with strong research capabilities (Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund, University of Duisburg-Essen) are key partners in the network.

On the industrial side, the Initiativkreis Ruhr economic alliance of over 70 leading regional companies and institutions is involved. RAG-Stiftung contributes to the alliance with the BRYCK innovation and start-up centre it initiated, its strong network and private-sector capital.

Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of RAG-Stiftung, comments on the decision: “With its designation as a Startup Factory, the BRYCK Startup Alliance has become a visible symbol of the new dawn in the Ruhr region. The project stands for renewal and transformation, for inventiveness and entrepreneurial strength. Being selected as a Startup Factory confirms the path we embarked upon with the launch of BRYCK – and demonstrates the great potential that exists here.”

On behalf of the University Alliance Ruhr, the rectors Prof. Barbara Albert from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Manfred Bayer from the Technical University of Dortmund and Prof. Martin Paul from the Ruhr University Bochum add: “This decision is a milestone for the BRYCK Startup Alliance and the University Alliance Ruhr. Together, we can demonstrate the potential that lies in close cooperation between science, industry and start-ups – and how universities can actively contribute to industrial transformation in Germany.”

Guido Kerkhoff, moderator of the Initiativkreis Ruhr: “With the BRYCK Startup Alliance, a new centre for innovation and entrepreneurship is emerging in the Ruhr region – supported by strong regional solidarity. The Initiativkreis Ruhr is contributing the strength of its more than 70 partner companies to actively shape this change and further strengthen the industrial heart of Germany.”

The BRYCK Startup Alliance aims to establish a powerful startup factory in the heart of the Ruhr region over the next five years. Various agendas are planned for the different phases of company formation, including scalable accelerator agendas for deep tech start-ups. At the same time, access to growth capital for spin-offs will be significantly improved through structured access to over 10 bn € in venture capital. The historic, listed Colosseum, a former industrial hall in Essen, will become the home of the BRYCK Startup Alliance. The goal is to mobilise at least 1,000 spin-offs, over 200 scaling deep tech start-ups and over 1 bn € in venture capital in the ecosystem by 2030. (BRYCK Startup Alliance/Si.)

On 17th January 2025, the Deutsches Bergbau Museum Bochum – Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources (DBM), Bochum/Germany, celebrated another milestone in the construction of its new research and depot building at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum. In the presence of around 80 invited guests, including project participants, architects and planners, as well as representatives from the fields of politics and science, a time capsule was filled and the foundation stone was laid (Figure 1). The state-of-the-art building will house the collections of the in-house Montanhistorisches Dokumentationszentrum (montan.dok) and at the same time serve as a facility for research and digitisation. Completion is scheduled for autumn 2026.

The montan.dok’s archive holdings and objects are currently stored in external storage areas and in office space at an interim location. Specifically, these include around 350,000 objects, more than 350 archival holdings and over 30 special collections on around 7 km of shelves, 85,000 books and magazines, and 150,000 photographs. The new building at the Jahrhunderthalle offers sufficient space and optimal storage conditions for all of this. In addition, a modern infrastructure for research and digitisation of the mining history collections is being created there, which will also be available to external researchers.

“The new building is an important project for Bochum as a research location and for the Ruhr region as a centre of science,” says Bochum’s Lord Mayor Thomas Eiskirch. “It stands for the structural change from a former industrial region to a progressive scientific region. And even the location fits in with this: the new building is being constructed on the former site of the Bochumer Verein für Gussstahlfabrikation.”

“The Deutsches Bergbau Museum Bochum is not only a cultural institution, but also a major nationally jointly financed scientific institution in its capacity as a Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources,” says Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, member of the board of executives of the RAG-Stiftung and chair of the board of trustees of the DBM. “With this new building, we are investing in the future viability of the research museum and offering a modern infrastructure for research into the history of mining and steelmaking.”

An infrastructure that is also intended to attract external scientists from Germany and abroad. The Vice President of the Leibniz Association, Prof. Matthias Beller, adds: “The state-of-the-art storage and working conditions will open up new avenues for research activities. The building offers space for researchers and guests from the international research network, making it an excellent place for international research on mining and georesources.”

At the groundbreaking ceremony, the scientific director, Prof. Sunhild Kleingärtner, and the commercial managing director of the DBM, Tim Pfenner, filled a time capsule. Inside were a current daily newspaper, a bag of euro coins, a USB stick with 3D scans of objects from the museum’s collection, and a plan drawing of the building. “We are delighted to be celebrating another milestone in the construction of our new building today. It is of central importance for our museum, because it will house the collections that form the basis for research and are also relevant for their presentation in the exhibition spaces of the main building,” said Kleingärtner.

The building is scheduled for completion in autumn 2026. The ground-breaking ceremony took place in July 2024 and marked the start of construction. Since then, 700 vibrated stone columns up to 11 m deep have been installed. Concrete bodies are now being placed on these columns, and together they form the foundation.

The funding for the new building amounts to approximately 39.9 M €. Half of the required funds come from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the other half from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The design by the architecture firm Carpus+Partner AG from the 2021 competition will be implemented in its entirety. The plinth level with a brick façade will house large objects in the future. On top of this will be a depository cube for the professional storage of the extensive museum collection and a cube with a steel-brick-glass façade, which will house offices and work spaces for researchers as well as archive and library holdings.

The construction project takes many sustainable aspects into account. The aim is to achieve gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). To achieve this rating, comprehensive concepts have been developed for various fields of work. Some of the measures that are being implemented include supplying the building with energy from a solar system and an air-water heat pump, installing humidity-regulating wall surfaces inside to ensure the objects’ storage requirements are met, as well as a green roof with rainwater utilisation and the planting of native plants in the open spaces and nesting opportunities for swallows and bats in the brick façade. (DBM/Si.)

 

The Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, published the figures for the past financial year and offered insights into developments during the current year at its annual press conference at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen on 11th June 2024 (Figure 1). Although the overall economic conditions remained difficult, the foundation was nonetheless able to report an annual profit for 2023 that exceeded the previous year’s figure. The foundation’s payments for perpetual obligations since the end of Germany’s hard coal mining operations totalled 1.3 bn € at the end of 2023.

“1.3 bn € for perpetual obligations since 2019 – that corresponds to about half of the volume of the Growth Opportunities Act passed by the German federal government. The foundation has made these payments reliably and almost imperceptibly over the past five years. And it has done so without drawing on its capital,” emphasized Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of the Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung, at the press conference. He explained that this cannot be taken for granted, in view of the ongoing crises and their far-reaching effects on the economic situation in Germany, which are affecting the foundation as well. Nonetheless, he said, the foundation has once again fulfilled all of its obligations. In 2023 the payments for perpetual obligations amounted to 266 M € (prior year: 247 M €). The increase of approximately 20 M € was due in particular to increased energy costs.

In 2023 the RAG-Stiftung was also able to significantly increase its annual profit to 394 M € (prior year: 347 M €). Accordingly, 394 M € could be added to the provision for perpetual obligations, which now totals 9.1 bn €. “The sustainability and resilience of the foundation model has passed the stress test of continuing difficult framework conditions,” Tönjes emphasized. This includes the fact that the foundation has further reduced its dependence on individual positions in its investment portfolio. After the recent sale of approximately 5 % of the share capital of Evonik Industries AG in mid-May of this year, Evonik now accounts for only one quarter of the foundation’s total assets. At the end of 2022 the foundation’s assets amounted to 16.8 bn €. By the end of 2023 they had grown to 17.5 bn €, and at the end of May 2024 they totalled approximately 18 bn €.

Last year the foundation added 394 M € to its diversified capital investments. In the course of the past year the RAG-Stiftung earned 959 M € in revenue from its total capital investments, compared to expenses amounting to 565 M €. This resulted in an annual profit of 394 M €. “Our portfolio, which is diversified so as to include all asset categories and economic areas, can even cope with crises and tough setbacks effectively. In the past business year it has demonstrated that it can also handle the materialization of risks,” said Chief Financial Officer Jürgen Rupp. “In spite of the many areas of turbulence in the world and in the capital markets, we are looking with confidence at the challenges that lie before us. The foundation is well positioned as an investor,” Rupp concluded.

In 2023 the RAG-Stiftung once again spent 32 M € to support projects in the areas of education, science and culture. The support budget will remain at this stable high level during the current year. Within the framework of its support activities, the foundation is now additionally focusing on the promotion of democracy. “The promotion of democracy has been firmly established in our support guidelines for a long time. It is anchored in about 90 % of our educational projects, and it already plays a role in many of our cultural and research projects. Nonetheless, during the year of European elections we are once again specially focusing on boosting awareness, in particular among young people, that democracy is a precious asset,” said Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, the member of the RAG-Stiftung Board of Executives who is responsible for human resources and the funding areas of education, science and culture.

The foundation also repeatedly provides assistance in acute emergencies. By means of a special budget, e. g., it has quickly made 500,000 € available for flood relief in the Saarland region. “The foundation’s Board of Trustees and its Board of Executives got this assistance package off the ground a few days ago in order to provide rapid assistance to the people who are affected,” said Bergerhoff-Wodopia.

At the end of his address, Tönjes concluded, “The past few years have been a baptism of fire for the foundation. We have emerged from it strengthened and enriched by a number of crucial experiences. Today we know that our portfolio functions in every capital market environment. And this certainty will also help us to continue becoming even better in the future.”
(RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

The year 2022, which was marked by the ongoing consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and additionally by the war in Ukraine, went well for the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, in spite of all the challenges. The Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung (Figure 1) published the figures for financial year 2022 and gave an outlook for the current year at its annual press conference at the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen on 6th June 2023. The foundation was able to maintain its income at a stable level. The payments for the perpetual obligations decreased once again.

“All of us are feeling the grave consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. The RAG-Stiftung is no exception,” said Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of the Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung, at the beginning of the annual press conference. “The good news is that in these difficult circumstances the foundation once more demonstrated robustness and resilience. For the RAG-Stiftung, 2022 was a good and financially satisfactory year. In view of the difficult overall situation, the ability to say that cannot be taken for granted.”

The annual profit of the RAG-Stiftung, amounting to 347 M €, was significantly lower than the extraordinarily good figure for the previous year, which was strongly affected by one-off effects (prior year: 665 M €, including the one-off effect of the sale of Evonik shares in the amount of 261 M €). However, it exceeded the planned figure by approximately 93 M €. According to Bernd Tönjes, “The resilience of a business model is revealed during periods of crisis in particular. Even during the crisis-ridden year 2022, we were able to achieve a result that impressively corroborates the strength and crisis resistance of the foundation model.”

In 2022 the payments for perpetual obligations decreased by 17 M€ to approximately 247 M€ (prior year: 264 M€). Moreover, it proved possible to reach a special environmental milestone at the beginning of 2023, when RAG played a crucial role in the implementation of the pit water concept in the Ruhr region. After 100 years, the Emscher River was not only free of wastewater but also once again free of pit water at the beginning of 2023. That brought a once-in-a-century project to a successful conclusion.

At the end of 2022 the foundation’s assets amounted to 16.8 bn € (prior year: 21.3 bn €). By the end of April 2023, it had grown by 0.5 bn € to 17.3 bn €. This positive trend was due in particular to the relatively good development of the Evonik share price. Chief Financial Officer Jürgen Rupp emphasized this, saying, “The crucial factor is not the amount of our total assets. The crucial factor is and remains the fact that we are generating sufficient returns, which enable us to fulfil all of our obligations. The foundation is successful even during difficult times because it is diversified across all asset classes and is distributed across the various economic areas throughout the world.” The Board of Executives estimated that a considerable number of challenges will continue to exist during the current financial year. “However, we don’t expect the result to be in any danger,” said Rupp.

With regard to its support activities in the areas of education, science and culture, the RAG-Stiftung once again demonstrated reliability and flexibility. In 2022 it spent 32 M € on projects that are benefiting the people who live in the former hard coal mining regions. The focus is still on support for education. Funding in the amount of 32 M €/a has been planned for the period from 2023 to 2027 in order to give the foundation as well as the recipients the planning security they need in turbulent times. “By the end of 2023 we will have exceeded the 200 M € mark with our support funding for the first time since the foundation was established. At that point a total of 210 M € will have flowed into projects that are developing a sustainable impact,” said Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, the member of the RAG-Stiftung Board of Executives responsible for human resources and the funding areas of education, science and culture. Meanwhile, flexibility and hands-on action were called for with respect to the war in Ukraine and the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. “Here the RAG-Stiftung was able to help mitigate people’s acute distress by means of a special budget of 2 M €,” said Bergerhoff-Wodopia.

With regard to the many challenges that must be tackled in the course of the “new era” and the climate crisis, Tönjes emphasized in his concluding remarks that this confrontation is a task for society as a whole. He added that this also means that the foundation must continue to intensify its own orientation toward sustainable action. This topic has by now developed into a tough competitive factor, he explained. With a view to the future, Tönjes expressed the following expectation: “For all of us, 2022 was a difficult year. But it was a year from which we emerged better off than before. This is also my expectation regarding 2023.” (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

The Board of Trustees of the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, which has five ex officio members and eight additional members, met on 28th November 2022 in Berlin and elected Armin Laschet as its Chairman from among the additional trustees in accordance with the foundation’s statutes. Michael Vassiliadis remains Deputy Chairman.

Prior to the meeting of the Board of Trustees, Thomas Kufen and Andreas Rei­chel were each reappointed as members of the Board of Trustees for a further five years. In addition, Annemarie Lütkes and Reiner Priggen joined the foundation’s Board of Trustees as new members. Their appointment was also for a period of five years.

The Board of Trustees would like to thank the previous Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Jürgen Großmann, who chaired the Board for ten years, for his excellent work. His term of office was marked, among other things, by the socially acceptable phase-out of the German hard coal mining industry in December 2018. Concurrently with the end of the mining operations, the RAG-Stiftung took over the financing of the perpetual obligations for the first time.

Großmann’s successor, Armin Laschet, was already an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees from June 2017 to October 2021 as Premier of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and has again belonged to the Board of Trustees as one of its additional members since April 2022. As a result, he is very familiar with foundation-related topics. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

Resources are becoming scarcer, energy prices are rising. In addition, dependence on third countries has led to a global rethink when it comes to extracting raw materials. New ways must be found to extract valuable materials ecologically and economically. That these ways also follow unusual ideas is shown by a new project that has now started at the Research Center of Post-Mining (FZN) at the TH Georg Agricola University (THGA), Bochum/Germany: Over the next two years, the scientists in the “IAW3³” project will investigate whether strategic raw materials can still be extracted from mine water and which methods are best suited for this. With the help of new processing technologies, critical metals in particular are to be extracted. The experts not only look at the mine water itself, but also examine its precipitation products and treatment residues. They conduct their investigations at various mines in the Ruhr, Saar and Ibbenbüren regions.

The research project is initially funded by the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, until 2024. The full project title is: Innovative processing technologies and their potential for recovering valuable materials from mine water, precipitation products and processing residues at Ruhr, Saar and Ibbenbüren with special consideration of critical metal resources, in short: IAW3³.

“For us, post-mining does not only mean dealing with the challenges that the coal industry has left us. In the field of post-mining, it is also a matter of developing new possibilities and opportunities in the former coalfields,” says Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Member of the Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung. “The new research project around the extraction of strategic raw materials from mine water is a highly exciting field of the future that is geared towards sustainability. It can contribute to reducing dependencies in raw material extraction. Just how important independence can be in this field is particularly evident to us these days. That is why we as the RAG-Stiftung are very happy to support this special project.”

“We see mine water as a potential stream of valuable materials,” says Prof. Christian Melchers, who heads the project at FZN. “The innovative thing about our idea is that we not only look at the mine water itself, but also examine the residues from treatment and its precipitation products. Precipitation refers to the separation of a dissolved substance from a solution.” What is sludge and silt for the layman is a real treasure trove for the experts at the FZN: “Recent investigations have shown that it contains, e. g., magnesium, which is used in engine construction. In the past, there have already been supply bottlenecks with the Chinese market leader. At best, we want to counteract these dependencies,” explains project member Bastian Reker (Figure 1). Rare earths, which can drive the expansion of renewable energies, or lithium, which is crucial for e-mobility, are also found.

The scientists are also examining the quantities of the critical element germanium in the mine water. “This is a by-product that is otherwise only produced during zinc extraction and is essential for the coating of fibre optic cables and thus for the expansion of the network,” says Reker. “Currently, all of these raw materials are being extracted worldwide under sometimes dubious environmental standards that affect people and the environment equally,” adds Prof. Melchers. “This simply no longer fits in with the spirit of the times and the growing ecological awareness in our society. We therefore want to initiate a rethink, accompany the processes scientifically and thus look for new possibilities on our own doorstep.”

The mine waters that are lifted from great depths with pumps in the former coalfields of the Ruhr, Saar and Ibbenbüren show a wide range of different mineralisations and enrichments – depending on the regional geology, hydrogeology and other influencing factors left behind by mining, explains expert Prof. Melchers: “We are now examining the extent to which it is also economically worthwhile to collect and process these valuable substances.”

To this end, the scientists will be setting up their own precipitation reactors at suitable locations in the coming months. In them, iron and other metals will be separated in a targeted manner by adding oxygen. They want to transfer the knowledge they gain from designing the plants on a laboratory scale to experimental plants on a large scale. In the IAW3³ project, the scientific team is also testing completely new processing technologies. Hyperspectral sensors, e. g., could help to directly detect the critical metals in mine water and co. and assess their mineralogical composition in a matter of seconds. The most promising methods are to be further developed at the FZN. (THGA/Si.)

The Board of Executives of the RAG-Stif-tung, Essen/Germany, published the figures for financial year 2021 and provided an out-look on the current financial year at its annual press conference at the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen on 1st June 2022 (Figure 1). While the expenses for the perpetual obligations due to the German hard coal mining of RAG Aktien-gesellschaft, Essen/Germany, decreased significantly by about 40 M € compared to the prior year, revenue was maintained at a high level.

“I am extremely pleased when a plan succeeds,” emphasised Bernd Tönjes, the Chairman of the RAG-Stiftung Board of Executives, at the foundation’s annual press conference. He pointed out the significant decrease in the cost of the perpetual obligations to its current level of 264 M € (prior year: 304 M €), which resulted from the successful progressive implementation of the RAG’s pit water concepts. “This remarkable saving of about 40 M € in the third year after the end of German hard coal mining is the outcome of careful long-term planning,” Tönjes said. On the revenue side, the RAG-Stiftung recorded an annual profit of 665 M € in financial year 2021. Even after an adjustment for the sale of Evonik shares totalling about 261 M €, this amount significantly exceeded the planned profit of 293 M €. The foundation’s assets amounted to 21.3 bn € at the end of 2021, thus continuing its previous asset development of annual increases measuring approximately 1 bn €.

Like many other companies and capital investors, the RAG-Stiftung and its shareholdings were affected at the beginning of 2022 by the continuing effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent Ukraine crisis and its consequences. Nonetheless, Tönjes asserted his confidence about the future: “Our security in the face of crises is now being put to a hard test once again. However, the foundation is standing up to this test with its robustness unchanged. In past years we were able to create a solid financial cushion that is now giving us the security we need.” Chief Financial Officer Jürgen Rupp also underlined this assessment: “Revenue is what counts. Our assets have always been subject to shifts. The crucial factor is our ability to fulfil our obligations.”

During the past year the RAG-Stiftung added 853 M € to its total diversified capital investments, which yielded a return of 12.4 % in 2021. “Our capital investments have posted above-average performance overall in recent years,” said Rupp. “Our risk budget held firm during the pandemic. We were able to maintain our investments, share in the general market upswing in the capital markets, and continue to increase our assets.” He added that in the months ahead it will be necessary, among other things, to continue preparing for rough waters in the capital markets in view of growing inflation and rising interest rates. “However,” Rupp emphasised, “the RAG-Stiftung is able to react flexibly to changes whenever they occur. At the same time, one of our past and present advantages is our basically long-term investment horizon. We will continue to make the most of this advantage in the future.”

Thanks to its solid financial basis, the foundation was able to continue providing valuable momentum to the former mining regions through its support activities in 2021. In the field of education, coping with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic was an ongoing focus area. “The feedback from our funding recipients clearly shows that tremendous efforts are still needed to mitigate the consequences of the closures of children’s daycare centres and schools,” said Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, the RAG-Stiftung Board of Executives member who is responsible for Human Resources and the funding areas education, science and culture. She emphasised the RAG-Stiftung’s continued determination to compensate for deficits and leave no child behind.

Through a special budget of 2 M €, the foundation will also assist refugees from Ukraine who have found shelter in the former mining regions. This assistance will include support for therapy centres treating traumatised Ukrainian children as well as accommodation for the parents of the refugee children and teenagers whose treatment for cancer is being continued at Essen University Hospital.

The foundation’s funding budget, which was 27 M € annually from 2018 to 2021, will be increased once again to 32 M € for 2022 and each of the two following years. “This budgetary increase is a strong signal, and it strengthens our determination not to slacken our commitment to providing local support,” says Bergerhoff-Wodopia.

At the close of his address, Bernd Tönjes stated that the foundation will continue to promote the transformation of the former mining regions above and beyond the fulfilment of its basic purpose. He said the challenges will not decrease in the future, especially against the background of the war in Ukraine. But he added that we should not lose sight of the greatest challenge facing mankind. “There is no vaccination against climate change,” Tönjes said. “Especially at the present moment, we must boldly think and act in line with greater sustainability.” He pointed out that the changes taking place today still offer opportunities as well. “The RAG-Stiftung will align its activities accordingly,” he said. “As a foundation group, we focus on the major future-oriented fields, and we see great potential in the areas where solutions for the challenges of our time must be found. We will earn our future income in these areas as well in order to fulfil our mission.” (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

MARK 51°7 is an innovation district located in Bochum/Germany that has national appeal (Figure 1): Bochum Perspektive GmbH has developed the 70 ha site of the former Opel factory to include commercial, industrial and technology spaces as well as extensive public green spaces. The RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, has now secured approximately 25,500 m² at MARK 51°7 for redevelopment. The United Robotics Group, which is majority-owned by the RAG-Stiftung through its associated company RSBG SE, also secured some 20,000 m² of the neighbouring premises.

“For RAG-Stiftung, the procurement of the premises is primarily a yield-oriented financial investment. At the same time, however, we can help drive forward the transformation of our region, by creating space for innovation. In a place where coal was once extracted and later countless cars were manufactured, the wheels are, figuratively speaking, back in motion as new companies set up premises here. We are delighted to be a key player in these major regeneration plans,” explains Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of the RAG-Stiftung Board of Executives.

The premises should also give the United Robotics Group the space they need to grow in the future. Together with their companies SoftBank Robotics Europe, Humanizing Technologies and Rethink Robotics, United Robotics provides a link for experts and cooperative partners who have committed to the combination of hardware, software and expert knowledge for tailored robot applications, especially in the field of service robotics.

The United Robotics Group, as part of the associated company RSBG SE, holds a majority interest in Rethink Robotics GmbH. Rethink Robotics only moved into its new corporate and production site in Bochum – close to the learning factory of Ruhr University of Bochum’s faculty for production systems – in the summer of 2020. Even then it was clear that this could only be a temporary solution for the growing company, which will need larger production facilities going forward. Just shy of two years later, with the foundation’s planned purchase of a 45,000 m² commercial premises on the former Opel site, the future course has been set for the mid- to long-term expansion of the United Robotics Group.

As well as around half the site being occupied by United Robotics Group, RAG-Stiftung also has the option of developing the remaining premises or renting them out to third parties. This would both further diversify the foundation’s property portfolio and supplement a profitable and reliable capital investment.

“We are delighted the RAG-Stiftung and the United Robotics Group have shown their commitment to MARK 51°7,” says Ralf Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of Bochum Perspektive GmbH. “With another two big names on board supporting our development plan and acting as ambassadors for our site, we are able to create more space for innovative enterprises and promising start-ups.”

For Thomas Hähn, CEO and Founder of the United Robotics Group, it is clear that: “Even though the move of United Robotics Group and the Rethink Robotics production facility is still a long way off, we are already looking forward to being part of the new campus. The new premises will give the subsidiaries of the United Robotics Group the space they urgently need to grow and develop innovations, especially in the future market of service robotics.” (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)