responsibility for future generations - Boehringer Ingelheim Annual ...

# 01
RESPONSIBILITY
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Sustainability and future investment are our goals. And this requires real partners:
we cooperate trustingly, fairly and with mutual respect with our employees,
our business partners and the public sector, be it government bodies or nongovernmental
organisations. We encourage each individual to take respon sibility
for themselves and others in their actions. In this way, we combine economic,
dynamic and social fairness.
Please see
annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com
14 TRUST, FAIRNESS, DEVELOPMENT
18 MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN
22 RESPONSIBLE DIALOGUE
24 PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY
26 GREEN ACTIVITIES
29 RESEARCHALLIANCES
33 PROMOTING EXCELLENCE LONG-TERM
12
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011

corporate responsibility
responsibility for future generations
Responsibility for future generations 13

TRUST, FAIRNESS, DEVELOPMENT
Together with our employees, we are creating the future of Boehringer
Ingelheim. Every individual is encouraged to take responsibility for
themselves and others. Our corporate culture, guided by respect,
mutual trust, fairness and passion for our tasks, contributes to constructively
establishing entrepreneurial processes and maintaining
our performance.
14
“The fi rst observation I made when I joined
the company was that it invests in nurturing
its talents. I have also recently seen the
introduction of the Talent Management Net,
a structured, systematic and transparent
platform to support the talent management
initiatives.”
jonathan chin
regional product manager - pradaxa®
regional operating unit south east asia
boehringer ingelheim singapore
Talent management
Employee development is the foundation
for talent management. And
effectively managing talent is essential
for our future success. In order to
prepare our employees for constantly
changing working conditions and
requirements, we foster their ongoing
development through our global talent
management approach.
Supported by a global web-based
talent management system, all of our
employees worldwide can access,
work on and execute their individual
development plans. The objectives of
the development plan, which is aligned
with business needs, are discussed
individually between the employee and
supervisor and aim to keep employees
up to date with current and future
working conditions and job requirements.
Furthermore, we develop our employees
for challenging opportunities
ahead, both nationally and internationally.
We thereby secure robust

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
Our employees participate in diverse seminars
within the framework of our management
development programme. Measures are well-suited
to their indi vidual needs in order to support them
in different phases of their careers.
succession planning, ensuring that
the company has the right people in
the right position at the right time at
all levels in the organisation.
corporate responsibility
Individual development planning for
all employees at all levels will foster
sustained employability and the sustainable
competitiveness of our workforce.
We believe that talent management
needs to be built on a sound workforce
plan linked with a business strategy
highlighting the needs of future organisational
and individual capacities
and capabilities. A more anticipative
approach is critical, not only in view
of imminent demographic trends, but
even more so because many parts of
our organisation will continue to
operate in dynamically changing
environments.
Leadership development
To deliver on our talent management
goals, our leaders must understand
how to leverage employees as our
most important resource.
This requires
leaders committed
to developing and
coaching employees
and focusing on
identifying, growing
and developing future
leaders.
Our leadership development
philo sophy is based
upon self-awareness as the crucial
foundation for leaders to deliver
results and build the Boehringer Ingelheim
of the future. The leadership
development framework was established
to support leaders by providing
appropriate development, based on
their individual needs at the different
stages in their leadership careers.
In 2011, leadership development
programmes for three target groups
were rolled out: the Global Strategic
Leader ship Programme (GSLP) for participants
who lead at a global enterprise
level, the Regional Leadership Develop-
responsibility for future generations
“Boehringer Ingelheim has provided me the
opportunity to learn and to apply learnings
in action. The experience of working with
colleagues all around the world has been
exciting, challenging and rewarding. I am
grateful to the company for giving me an
opportunity to make a difference to our
consumers’ lives.”
christopher l. salzo
brand manager consumer health care
boehringer ingelheim usa
Trust, fairness, development
15

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
long-term objectives
16
strategy
GSLP RLDP LLDP
GMDP
global strategic
leadership
programme
regional leadership
development
programme
local leadership
development
programme
ment Programme (RLDP) for participants
who lead a business or function,
and the Global Management Development
Programme (GMDP) for participants
leading others and demonstrating
potential to become future global leaders
for the organi sation. The curriculum
for all programmes is based on our
Leitbild (guiding principles), vision and
values as well as the global strategy of
Boehringer Ingelheim.
“Hard work, dedication and delivering results
are strongly rewarded in the form of a variety of
career and personal development opportunities.
The constant search for the inspiring leaders
of tomorrow means leadership can very soon
be a part of your job!”
sandra quintero
head of order-to-cash,
global department regional
business services,
boehringer ingelheim germany
values, lead & learn, leadership competence
global leadership curriculum
global management
development
programme
lead & learn
Our global leadership development
programmes will develop leaders who
• set direction
• lead innovation
• lead and manage change
• lead people
• deliver results
to ensure the sustained growth and
independence of the company.
Diversity and inclusion
Our employees are the source of our
competitiveness. We believe that diversity
in our workforce fosters innovation,
supports decision-making and
increases our attractiveness as an
employer. Diversity represents the differences
between people, be it regarding
gender, culture, ethnicity, education,
religion or other dimensions, such as
diversity of thought. It recognises that
no two people are alike and that each
person brings to the company a unique
set of talents.
Inclusion brings together diversity to
make the company better and stronger

corporate responsibility
“A working environment that gives men and
women the same opportunities for personal
development provides the necessary basis for
a balanced representation of both genders in
our management teams. There are many things
that we can do to achieve this – what is crucial
is that we really take it seriously.”
dr sabine luik,
head of corporate division quality
regulatory, pharmacovigilance,
epidemiology (qrpe) and member of
the advisory council gender diversity,
boehringer ingelheim germany
because of each employee. It is a sense of
belonging: feeling respected, valued for
who you are; feeling a level of supportive
energy and commitment from others
so that you can bring your authentic self
to work and do your best. To have them
show their best, we encourage our employees
to bring their uniqueness and
potential into the company. To support
a diverse and inclusive environment,
where everyone can contribute, we have
set up diversity and inclusion advisory
groups. For example, two groups, Leaders
of Diverse Nationalities and Gender
Diversity, have already started to propose
specifi c activities and measures.
The Asian council group has set out a
vision for their work: “By 2020, Asian
leaders will play a prominent role
within our global leadership team
within and outside Asia.” The
group will actively follow
through to make their vision a
reality through process
excellence and specifi c programmes
and interventions
along our talent management
cycle.
As another example, the Gender
Diversity group pursues the vision
that, in the future, our culture will involve
equal contribution from both
genders at all levels. It will drive the
visible monitoring of gender diversity
by the company leadership, support for
networking and role modelling for
women, the provision of globally
aligned mentoring framework and the
amendment of the hiring, succession
planning and staffi ng processes.
responsibility for future generations
“The opportunities within Boehringer
Ingelheim to work on assignments
diverse in terms of people, thought and
culture has been greatly benefi cial in
developing myself as well as preparing
for leadership roles in a global
company.”
rajeev sukumaran,
information systems, service development
& delivery, service management,
boehringer ingelheim usa
Trust, fairness, development
17

MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN
Boehringer Ingelheim and Ashoka are working together in a global
partnership, “Making more health”, devoted to innovative health
solutions and promoting social entrepreneurship.
Ashoka is a global non-governmental
organisation (NGO) of
leading social entrepreneurs who
are fi nding solutions to the world’s
most urgent social problems in
order to change society in the
long run.
Once social entrepreneurs are
elected as “Ashoka Fellows,” they
are provided with living stipends,
professional support, and access
to a global network of peers in 70
countries.
18
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
“Making more health” is the ambition
to deliver new health care models –
more health – to the world, that is to
say, to individuals and society. More
health means prevention, diagnosis
and treatment. Promising solutions to
challenging health problems worldwide
are identified and approached in
the course of the initiative.
By 2014, Ashoka and Boehringer
Ingelheim will support 50 so-called
social entrepreneurs who advance
sustainable health solutions with
their concepts (for our first 13 elected
entrepreneurs, see examples). The
social entrepreneurs are selected at a
national and international level by
Ashoka and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Ashoka: The word “Ashoka” is Sanskrit and can be translated as “the
active absence of sorrow”. The eponym was an Indian emperor around
300 BC who unifi ed the Indian subcontinent and committed himself
to a policy of peace promotion and social welfare.
We support them for three years,
but afterwards their concepts should
be self-sustaining. Our partnership
forms a win-win situation. On the one
hand, Ashoka displays competence in
creating change and comes with the
network and know-how to identify
and to advance social innovators.
Boehringer Ingelheim, on the other
hand, is competent in the healthcare
and business sectors. We can provide
the social entrepreneurs with a great
MICHAELA NACHTRAB, VERBAVOICE
[ germany ]
her idea: a society in which open communication
for citizens with hearing diffi culties or
deafness is the norm instead of the exception
her approach: introducing a web-based
service that reduces the cost
of transcription services

REBECCA ONIE, HEALTH LEADS
[ usa ]
deal of experience in professional
project management. Furthermore,
we support the entrepreneurs with
our skills, experience, and network.
corporate responsibility
her idea: doctors prescribing food or other basic
resources necessary for families to be healthy
her approach: training students to liaise
between doctors, patients and community
resources and to staff health desks in urban
medical centres
We would hereby like to achieve a
change in the healthcare system. And
we would like to give something to
society, something that cannot be
mea sured and solved monetarily.
Changemakers competition
As part of the partnership initiative,
Boehringer Ingelheim and Ashoka’s
Changemakers launched their first
online competition, the “Making more
health Changemakers competition”, in
July 2011. In this way, we sought new
ideas for improving the health and
well-being of diverse communities
around the world – rural and urban,
developed and developing – and in
different political and economic systems.
Through the competition, we
also “feed the pipeline” for future
social entrepreneurs.
Everybody has been able to use this
platform to express their ideas. More
than 470 entries from 82 countries
were made, including those of our
employees. Through the contributions
we also established contact with people
who think innovatively whom we
would not have met in other ways and
with whom we engage in active exchanges.
Using the website, ideas could be submitted
on how to improve services
and treatment, on promoting prevention,
early detection and diagnosis, on
empowering individuals, families and
GUILLAUME BAPST, A.N.D.E.S.
[ france ]
his idea: improving health and social integration
by making better choices of food available
for low-income families
his approach: delivering food to the poor who
can buy everyday products cheaper in
so-called solidarity stores
responsibility for future generations
KRYSTIAN FIKERT, MYMIND
[ ireland ]
his idea: making mental healthcare available
and affordable without stigma
his approach: providing in-person and online
psychological services, with quick and
affordable access to a team of
counsellors, psychotherapists
and psychologists
MARIANA ANGELERI,
FUNDACIÓN EDUCACIONAL
[ argentina ]
her idea: attacking the problem of
child obesity by focusing on health
and wellness
her approach: building
healthy habits at schools for
successful prevention
Make change happen 19

JOSH NESBIT, MEDIC MOBILE
[ usa ]
his idea: transforming the effi cacy of
decentralised rural public health
his approach: medical workers use mobile
phones to gather health data effi ciently
Ashoka’s Changemakers is an
online action community that connects
social entrepreneurs around
the globe to share ideas, inspire,
and mentor each other. Through
its online competitions, changemakers.com
is one of the world’s
most robust spaces for launching,
discussing and scaling ideas to
solve the world’s most pressing
social problems. Changemakers
builds on Ashoka’s history and
vision for an “Everyone a Changemaker”
world by creating a place
where the best ideas in social innovation
can be shared, refi ned
and funded.
20
www.changemakers.com
LUH KETUT SURYANI,
SURYANI INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
[ indonesia ]
her idea: expanding the defi nition of a mental
healthcare provider – “everyone can be a self-healer”
her approach: low-cost mental health treatment
and rehabilitation, involving
different groups in the
recovery process
communities to address their health
issues and on targeting vulnerable
and underserved populations.
From 13 finalists chosen by the competition
jury, the public then voted to
select the three winners. Their innovations
describe new healthcare delivery
models for extremely impoverished
communities, the novel use of
GERALD KOLLER, RISFLECTING
[ austria ]
his idea: training individuals to develop responsible
behaviour in risky settings. His focus:
drug and alcohol consumption, gambling,
extreme sports, etc.
his approach: conveying risk competence as a
central component of addiction
pre vention and health promotion
in workshops and training sessions
MIA SUTANTO, ASOCIASI IBU
MENYUSUI INDONESIA (AIMI)
[ indonesia ]
her idea: raising awareness about and
promoting breastfeeding
her approach: a support group for
breastfeeding mothers, the
Indonesian Breastfeeding
Mothers Association (AIMI)
local human resources to expand the
capacity of rural and urban clinics,
and holistic approaches to sustainable
health. Each winner received a prize
of USD 10,000.
The winners were:
• ColaLife, zambia: simple medicines
are piggy backed on Coca-Cola supply
chains, i. e. tucked into Cola
boxes, to save lives in underserved
rural areas in Africa.
• Saúde Criança, brazil: families receive
support for different areas in
the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. This
includes improving their living situation
and education. The families
shall be lifted out of poverty to live
healthily in the long term.

CLAUS GOLLMANN,
KIND IN DÜSSELDORF
[ germany ]
corporate responsibility
his idea: improving the quality of care for
abused children
his approach: opening an inpatient diagnostic
centre where children stay for
up to six months
• Unite For Sight, ghana: the organisation
is partnering with local eye
clinics in poor regions all over the
world. Patient barriers to care in
rural villages, slums and refugee
camps and preventable blindness
shall be eliminated.
Employees as changemakers
Our employees not only participated
in the changemakers competition by
contributing their ideas. We are also
matching the needs of social entrepreneurs
with our employees’ skills and
interests. Within their different functions,
they engage where the Ashoka
social entrepreneurs need some help
with their projects.
JORDI MARTI, DRY BLOOD SCREENING
[ spain ]
DR FRANK HOFFMANN,
DISCOVERING HANDS®
[ germany ]
his idea: enabling affordable detection of infectious
and non-communicable diseases in disadvantaged
communities and poorly funded health systems
his approach: developing a new method to analyse
biochemical parameters (uric acid,
cholesterol, glucose, etc.) in dried
blood samples
We can engage and develop individually
and as a whole company by pursuing
a common aim. By contributing
to the projects voluntarily, we help to
bring more health to the world as well
– we also become changemakers at our
workplace and in our community.
www.makingmorehealth.org
responsibility for future generations
his idea: detecting breast cancer earlier
his approach: training blind women to
examine women’s breasts and introducing
the profession of medical tactile
examiner (Medizinische
Tastunter sucherin - MTU)
PHIL CONWAY, COOL 2 CARE
[ united kingdom ]
his idea: introducing a new type of personal
assistant into the homecare industry
his approach: modern recruitment techniques
to bring new types of carers, namely energetic
young people, to the disabled

PROVIDING INFORMATION
Providing more information to patients is our ethical duty. On our social media channels, we
illuminate different disease issues and provide information on our cooperations or disease
awareness campaigns. By engaging in dialogue with our stakeholder groups, sustainable and
innovative values and solutions can be found.
For more information, visit our channels on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
RESPONSIBLE DIALOGUE
New communication channels, such as Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube, enable us to engage with stakeholder groups. These
social media channels allow rich interaction between the company,
patients, scientists, physicians and other interested parties.
PREVENTING STROKES
The campaign “1 Mission 1 Million –
Getting to the Heart of Stroke”
started in 2011 to raise awareness
of atrial fi brillation (AF) and its
link to stroke. The public was empowered
to decide how to spend
EUR 1 million on projects to help
to prevent as many as one million
AF-related strokes. In August
2011, the 32 best projects were
announced in Paris, France.
22
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
Social media channels are two-way
communication that is more intensive
and more direct than traditional
digital channels. This is important, as
sustainable, innovative values and
solutions can only be found through
dialogue between different social
groups, with people expressing their
opinions and ideas. We appreciate discussion,
criticism and open expression
of opinion, so that we can benefi t from
the community’s wealth of ideas and
stay up to date. With the right social
media tools, we can also attract talents.
Different issues on different channels
On our YouTube channel, we have
about 70 videos which illuminate different
disease issues, provide infor-
mation on projects and collaborations,
and report on patients’ disease
experiences. With Facebook and
Twitter, we also want to be genuine
and transparent, to engage more, to
share more, to learn more, and to help
more. Providing more information to
patients is our ethical duty.
We were among the first pharmaceu-
tical companies to use Twitter and
we are one of the most engaged users.
It enables us to tweet news, disease
awareness slides, infographics and
other information. And it allows us to
engage in healthy dialogue, answering
questions and solving problems, providing
quick, accurate responses.
Support for campaigns
Our global initiative “1 Mission 1 Million
– Getting to the Heart of Stroke”
(box, left) was supported by our social
media channels. The public submitted
more than 200 projects. One of the
winning projects suggested a social
media platform to motivate stroke
prevention.

corporate responsibility
The goal of our DRIVE4COPD campaign
was to drive one million people to
a website to fi ll out a diagnostic questionnaire
to detect their risk of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
We also support the “Making more
health” project, a collaboration with
Ashoka (see page 18), on our social
media channels. They are integrated
in all our cooperations and activities.
Breaking new ground
In the second half of 2012, we will
launch a game played on Facebook.
Based on research and development, we
will use it to educate people about diseases
or disease awareness. Players will
equip and use a laboratory to discover
new drugs and bring them to market
with a view to increasing global health.
The game provides an outstanding way
of helping people to understand the different
stages and obstacles of R&D, i. e.
the challenges facing the pharmaceutical
industry. It is also a great way of
communicating with, educating and
engaging with people.
Alignment in future
By striving to find new ways to reach
our audiences, we can provide patients,
customers and other stakeholder groups
with up-to-date in formation. Disease
awareness and interaction will advance
the understanding and importance
of health.
responsibility for future generations
BETTER UNDERSTANDING
Interest groups can with this game dive into
the daily working process of a pharmaceutical
company. This helps them to understand the
process and points Boehringer Ingelheim’s
employees have to work through before a
product can be launched.
DRIVE4COPD
This was a campaign that aimed
to raise awareness of and increase
screening for COPD. It was an example
of how to use social media
effectively to drive social change.
70
On our YouTube channel about
70 videos illuminate different disease
issues, provide information on
projects and collaborations, and
report on patients’ disease experiences.
Responsible dialogue
23

1
PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY
In Brazil, Boehringer Ingelheim is engaged in a cooperation to pre -
serve biodiversity and support families whose livelihoods depend
on gathering Jaborandi leaves.
JABORANDI:
PILOCARPUS MICROPHYLLUS
STAPF
• shrub, 1.20 to 1.60 metres in
height
• grows mainly in Brazil’s Amazonas
region
• leathery leaves and greenyellow-coloured
fl owers
• active substance pilocarpine
is used to treat glaucoma and
severe dry mouth
• 0.8 % pilocarpine per leaf
• threatened with extinction from
past unsustainable harvesting
24
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
Through a development partnership
we actively promote fair and improved
working conditions as well as sustainable
cultivation of a native plant and
the preservation of biodiversity.
We work jointly with the Brazilian company
Centrofl ora Group and the German
Society for International Cooperation
(Deutsche Gesell schaft für internationale
Zusammenarbeit GmbH – GIZ) on
realising a project for the sustainable
use and preservation of the Jaborandi
shrub in northeast and north Brazil
in the protected forest of Carajás
(Amazonas region). Furthermore, the
social and economic integration of
local Jaborandi gatherers is to be intensified.
2
1 The Jaborandi shrub is harvested from June to October.
2 The registered gatherers receive a harvesting cutter and a
personal identity card.
3 Gatherers learning the correct harvesting technique, which is
essential for the plant’s preservation.
3
Project partners
Centroflora uses Jaborandi leaves
directly, which are employed to isolate
the alkaloid pilocarpine, used to treat
glaucoma and severe dry mouth.
The GIZ supports people and societies
in developing, fast-developing and industrialised
countries to develop their
own prospects and improve their living
conditions. As a federal German organisation,
its most important client is the
German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium
für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit
und Entwicklung – BMZ).
The GIZ also works for other German
ministries, federal states and municipalities,
as well as public and private sector
clients in different countries. These include,
for example, governments in other
countries, the European Commission, the
United Nations and the World Bank.
Ensuring future harvests
When harvesting Jaborandi leaves,
special factors must be taken into consideration.
Branch tops should only be

JABORANDI GATHERING AREA
IN BRAZIL
corporate responsibility
The leaves are harvested in the
northeastern and northern federal states
of Pará, Maranhão and Piauí.
harvested after the fi rst fruit has ripened
from a height above 50 centimetres.
Moreover, cutters should be used
to ensure propagation from seed, regeneration
and further harvests in the years
ahead.
Harvesting takes place during the dry
season from June to October. Illegal
picking of the shrubs was widespread in
the past. To harvest as much as possible
to sell to dealers, pickers shortened the
branches to the point where the species
Pilocarpus microphyllus was threatened
with extinction. The small payments that
dealers made to gatherers was only
enough for food during the harvest
season, but not for the rest of the year.
Helping to solve the problem
The problem-solving approaches developed
by the project partners first of
all include gatherer registration in a
land register in order to contain illegal
gathering. After theoretical and
practical instruction in harvesting
guidelines and techniques, gatherers
receive a harvesting cutter and a per-
manaus
brazil
sonal identity card. This card contains
important information concerning
harvest amounts, dates and locations.
Centroflora will in future purchase
Jaborandi leaves at fair prices from
these gatherers only, securing their
living for many months. Prices for
dried Jaborandi leaves will, however,
be renegotiated each season. To ensure
the preservation of the shrub,
and reforestation of the regions, gatherers
also replant with seedlings. We
support gatherers in organi sing themselves
to become economically independent
and to negotiate free of dealers
to secure their living.
responsibility for future generations
BUSINESS FOR MORE RESPONSIBILITY
In development cooperation, partnerships
between the public and private sectors are
described as development partnerships.
They link the business interests of companies
to the development policy goals of
the public sector in the mutual interest of
both sides. The partners can thus jointly
pursue their goals, which could only be
realised poorly, or to an inadequate extent,
if undertaken alone.
DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS –
pará
maranhão
piauí
As sustainable enterprise can only be
achieved in the developing countries within
a stable economic, ecological and social
environment, both business and development
cooperation organisations are interested
in creating the corresponding preconditions.
These include job creation and the
improvement of production processes, environmental
protection and technology.
Private companies can benefi t from the
contacts, experiences and the expert network
of the organisations that implement
developmental policies. Furthermore, they
gain access to new markets for their products
and services. Public sector partners
strive to integrate poorer social groups in
markets, thereby improving their incomes
and quality of life as well as contributing
towards preserving natural resources.
[ project partners ]
Preserving biodiversity
25

1
GREEN ACTIVITIES
Acting in an environmentally sustainable way is a global challenge.
We owe it to our employees, customers and the whole society.
For us, it means, for instance, reducing energy consumption and
enhancing environmental protection. Furthermore, we make every
effort to protect our employees and guarantee their health.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
CONCEPTS
Energy concepts with time frames
of up to 15 years ensure the sustainable
use of energy at our sites.
A scientifi c board of external advisors
and internal specialists is
engaged in working out sustainable
energy supply strategies for
Germany. Regular reviews ensure
integration of the best available
techniques in the concepts and
tell us which energy resources and
technologies to use in the future.
26
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
1 Reforestation project at our farm in Solana, Brazil
2 By integrating three climate systems we save about 2,000 tons of
CO 2 per year at our site in Petersburg, USA.
3 At our German sites we systematically identifi ed the optimisation
potential of energy effi ciency measures in buildings. Here: biopharmaceutical
production plant G 104 in Biberach
2
Protecting the environment, conserving
natural resources and promoting
environmental awareness are valued
principles at Boehringer Ingelheim.
This is reflected in our Leitbild (guiding
principles), as well as our new
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS)
Policy and Strategy being rolled out
in 2012.
We investigate important “green strategies”
that go further to improve the
environmental impact of our operations.
Embarking on greener paths
will help us to manufacture clean,
safe and efficient products through
sensible component sourcing.
3
Energy and emission savings
For many years, projects reducing
energy consumption and greenhouse
gases have been implemented at our
sites with the aim to improve our performance.
We consider these issues a
prerequisite to enjoying a competitive
advantage and to being economically
sustainable in the future. Some examples
of energy- and emission-reducing
projects in 2011 are:
• The reforestation project at our
farm in Solana, Brazil: we evaluated
that the amount of CO that is
2
absorbed by the plants in our reforestation
activities broadly matches
the CO emitted at our pharma-
2
ceutical production facility, farm
and administrative buildings in
Brazil.
• At our plant in Petersburg, Virginia,
USA: we integrated three existing
process and heating, ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC) chilled
water systems into a fully-controlled
building automation system, saving
an estimated 2,000 tons of CO2 per year.

4 5
corporate responsibility
4 The roll-out of BE SAFE took place at several sites in
2011: Here: Fornovo, Italy
5 Boehringer Ingelheim Germany receives the Responsible
Care Award for its BE SAFE activities
6 Alternative engines: the new acquisitions for the
German car fl eet symbolise our requirement to reduce
CO 2 emissions effectively.
• At our plant in Yamagata, Japan: we
installed a heat recovery chiller. It
reduces the yearly consumption of
energy and the emission of CO at 2
the plant by more than 7 % (status
October 2011).
• At our German sites: we systematically
identifi ed the optimisation
potential of energy efficiency
measures in buildings and initiated
projects for implementation. These
optimisation projects are scheduled
from 2011 to 2014. Savings will
amount to about 20 GWh per year,
corresponding to about 4,500 tons
of CO per year.
2
• Our German car fleet: we are currently
improving its environmental
performance. Within the next few
years, we are going to reduce the
CO emission rates of our cars. The
2
current average rate is 142 g. Reductions
will be reached by switching
to more efficient conventional
cars, as well as by introducing alternative
power resources. The
number of electric cars is currently
eight and is going to be increased to
6
20 by end of 2012. Furthermore, a
pilot project is ongoing, using a hydrogen-based
car and the possibility
of implementing our own hydrogen
filling station is under
evaluation.
Our “Sustainable Use of Energy” team
coordinates this kind of energy- and
emission-reducing activities at an
international level and fosters the
knowledge exchange between our
sites. This team has been integrated in
our new project “BE GREEN”, which
was started in 2011 with the aim of
coordinating and optimising our
green activities.
Protection of employees’ health
Since the start of the roll-out of the
new Boehringer Ingelheim safety culture
“BE SAFE - Zero by Choice” in
May 2010, great effort has been made
to systematically improve how we
deal with our own safety. The aim is
to encourage both the management
and employees to pro-actively take on
the responsibility of their own well-
responsibility for future generations
GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION
A concept for calculating
Boehringer Ingelheim’s corporate
carbon footprint has been set
up in accordance with the Greenhouse
Gas Protocol, a multistakeholder
initiative coordinated
by the World Business Council
for Sustainable Development and
the World Resources Institute. We
seek to minimise our footprint
and have set a new goal to reduce
our CO 2 emission equivalents by
20 % by 2020.
Green activities
27

1
SOIL CLEAN-UP AT OUR INGELHEIM SITE
Until the beginning of the 1970s, it was common practice and
legally permitted to fi ll exhausted sand, gravel and clay pits
with chemical development and production waste. This is how,
for example, the Ingelheim disposal site came about. We
have already removed part of the contaminated deposits.
In 2011, observing nature conservation, some 45,000 m² of
the soil at the disposal site was relocated and replenished, and
the site secured with a surface barrier.
If it is impossible to dispose of contaminated deposits completely,
we extract groundwater in the immediate vicinity of
the substances using protective boreholes in order to clean it
in our wastewater treatment plant.
28
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
being and also look out for others
working around them. The roll-out
ensures that all functions go through
a workfl ow comprised of various steps,
such as self-assessments together with
management and setting up specific
improvement plans. By the end of
2011, the roll-out of “BE SAFE” had
been started in Germany, the USA,
China, Austria, Spain, France, Italy,
Mexico, Russia and other Eastern
European countries. More countries
will follow in 2012. In Germany, our
activities in relation to this initiative
have been rewarded by the German
Chemical Association with the local
Responsible Care Award.
Care through protection
In the interest of social responsibilty
stretching over generations, and of
sustainable environmental protection,
the potential contamination of the
soil at our sites should be eliminated
wherever possible. For this purpose,
we have started an extensive, global
project for the inspection and, if necessary,
clean-up of contaminated de-
posits in the soil at our company sites
and in their immediate vicinity.
We concentrate our efforts on longstanding
sites. This approach is not
stipulated by the authorities, but is
undertaken voluntarily. We will bear
all costs. Where pollution is identified,
the soil will be returned as far as
possible to a near-natural, geogenic
state. Contaminated deposits should
be disposed of such that they can
cause no long-term damage.

1
corporate responsibility
RESEARCH ALLIANCES
We continue to support cooperations with academic research
scientists to better define the underlying causes and molecular
mechanisms of human disease. This is part of our involvement
in public-private partnerships and guided by the notion of active
citizenship and service to society.
We have established a strong track
record of working with academic scientists
around the globe on drug discovery
projects, ranging from the
search for new drug targets to drug
profiling and development. In addition,
we have established a number
of preferred, long-term partnerships
with academic centres that transcend
the scope of individual research projects.
Examples include our involvement
with the Institute of Molecular
Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria,
and a newer partnership with the University
of Ulm in Ulm, Germany.
2
Networks: Boehringer Ingelheim and
the Institute of Molecular Pathology
The Institute of Molecular Pathology
conducts basic research in molecular
biology and engages in excellent networking
for cutting-edge scientific
research. The IMP is connected through
cooperation at a scientific and administrative
level to the Institute of
Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian
Academy of Sciences (IMBA)
and the neighbouring Gregor Mendel
Institute. Numerous overlaps with the
institutes of the University of Vienna
and the Medical University of Vienna,
as well as synergies with Austria-based
biotechnology companies, characterise
responsibility for future generations
Neurobiologists at the Research Institute of Molecular
Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria, study the mating ritual
of fl ies to fi nd out how the nervous system generates complex
animal behaviour.
1 Fruit fl y (Drosophila melanogaster).
Copyright Solvin Zankl
2 Picture of a fl y brain. Digital atlas of the fruit fl y brain,
assembled from numerous individual images.
Genetically defi ned neuronal networks are shown in
various colours. Source IMP
The Research Institute of Molecu -
lar Pathology (IMP) conducts basic
research in molecular biology and
engages in excellent networking for
cutting-edge scientifi c research.
Research alliances 29

1
In 2011, Jan-Michael Peters, biologist,
received the Wittgenstein
Award of the Austrian government,
Austria’s most prestigious
research prize. Together with his
team at the IMP, he is studying
the molecular mechanisms of cell
division.
30
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
the local network at the so-called
Campus Vienna Biocenter site.
IMP research is borne by Boehringer
Ingelheim as well as Austrian and Euro-
pean research funding.
Internationally networked
Networks – whether virtual or real –
leverage capabilities and give greater
freedom of manoeuvre. The around
200 IMP researchers are permanently
in contact with working groups worldwide.
The researchers are formally
linked through major, international
projects and informally through the
active exchange of know-how and
scientific material. There are also
constant connections to Boeh ringer
Ingel heim’s research and development
teams. The researchers’ personal
careers, that frequently switch
between institutions and continents,
weave the web tighter at an individual
level.
The goal of academic and extra-university
basic research is to gain in-
2
1 At the Vienna Drosophila RNAi Center
(VDRC), 32,000 transgenic lines of the
fruit fl y Drosophila melanogaster are bred
and dispatched around the world when
ordered by scientists and laboratories.
Copyright Solvin Zankl
2 Elucidation of the infection apparatus
of Salmonella using advanced cryoelectron
microscopy. Pictured:
a three-dimensional reconstruction
of the needle complex with which
Salmonella infects human cells.
Source IMP-IMBA
sights that are documented in scientific
publications. IMP researchers
annually publish some 80 specialist
articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Wittgenstein Prize for cutting-edge
research
In 2011, Jan-Michael Peters received
the Wittgenstein Prize, the most prestigious
Austrian award for scientists,
to become the sixth IMP winner.
Since the European Research Council
(ERC) was established in 2007, wellendowed
support has also gone to
six IMP researchers. In 2011, Group
Leaders Andrew Straw and Manuel
Zimmer both received approval for
an ERC starting grant and Meinrad
Busslinger, Senior Scientist at IMP,
for an advanced grant.
Securing this funding is extremely
competitive and is exclusively related
to the quality and potential of the research.
The funds make it possible to
address questions that can only be answered
with major personnel and
technical expenditure.

3
Unlocking the immune system’s
regulatory network
Meinrad Busslinger researches the
adaptive immune system with the
goal of unlocking the regulatory network
that controls the development
of the blood’s B and T lymphocytes
from stem cells. A significant factor,
the PAX5 gene, was identified by
his group some years ago. In 2011,
the team described new regulatory
elements that control the formation
of millions of different immunoglobulins.
corporate responsibility
Networking with basic research
institutes
Networking is also essential for Jan-
Michael Peters’s group in elucidating
the structural mechanism of the anaphase
promoting complex (APC),
which initiates cell division. While
the IMP-team is specialised in biochemical
methods, Holger Stark of
the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical
Chemistry in Göttingen,
Germany, contributes his expertise in
4
RESEARCH INTO CELL DIVISION IS ONE OF THE CORE AREAS AT THE IMP.
3 Human cells dividing. The chromosomes are grey, the spindle apparatus protein
(tubulin) coloured blue or red, depending on intensity (pseudo-colours). Source IMP
4 The course of cell division in human HeLA cells. Chromosomes in blue, spindle apparatus
in green. Points of contact for spindle fi bres (kinetochores) shown in red. Source IMP
three-dimensional cryo-electron microscopy.
Structural biologists at the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute in Memphis,
Tennessee, USA, complement the
analyses through crystallographic
methods. This cooperation between
several teams is exemplary for the
modern approach to complex biological
questions.
With its three new group leaders in
2011, the IMP also imported their
networks. Physician Johannes Zuber
previously conducted research at Cold
Spring Harbor Laboratory in New
York, USA. In Scott Lowe’s laboratory
he investigated novel therapeutic approaches
for leukaemia and in 2011,
in a joint publication, described a new
active ingredient against acute myeloid
leukaemia. In Vienna, he collaborates
with the Medical University and
Oncology Research at Boehringer
Ingelheim.
responsibility for future generations
At the IMP research is conducted,
inter alia, into the mechanisms
underlying the development of B
and T lymphocytes from blood
stem cells. B and T lymphocytes
are white blood cells that are responsible
for acquired immunity.
Research alliances 31

32
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM ULM
UNIVERSITY BIOCENTER
In 2011, the University of Ulm, Germany,
and Boehringer Ingelheim signed a research
cooperation agreement which is
also being supported by the Baden-Württemberg
government. The new research
alliance is called “Boehringer Ingelheim
Ulm University Biocenter” (BIU) with a
funding volume of around EUR 4.5 million
for an initial period of three years. We
will contribute EUR 2.25 million and, as
a global research-driven company, will
also bring to the cooperation the experience
and stability needed to accomplish
projects that are multi-disciplinary and
require scientifi c persistence.
Signing of the agreement: Prof. Gerd
Schnorrenberg (lower left) Head of Research
Germany, at Boehringer Ingelheim in
Biberach, Germany and President of Ulm
University, Prof. Karl Joachim Ebeling (lower
right). Prof. Andreas Barner, Boehringer
Ingelheim (upper left), Theresia Bauer,
Science minister, Baden-Württemberg (upper
right)
Picture by BioRegionUlm
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
Structural biologist Thomas Marlovits
cooperates closely with researchers in
the USA on investigating the details of
the infection apparatus of Salmonellae.
Using advanced methods of
cryo-electron microscopy, he has also
resolved the structure of the needlecomplex
on a near atomic level. A
team of Yale researchers contributed
expertise in bacterial genetics.
Besides addressing questions of cell
biology and mechanisms of disease,
the IMP also focuses on research into
neuronal networks. Powerful new
tools in optogenetics, imaging and
electrophysiology make it possible to
measure and manipulate neural activity
within genetically-defined circuits
and causally link them to behaviour.
The young discipline circuit neuroscience
has a highly interdisciplinary
character.
The auditory cortex in the brain of a transgenic
mouse. Individual nerve cells are displayed
using special colouring techniques, with different
cell types defi ned by various colours.
Neurobiologists around IMP Director
Barry Dickson investigate which elements
of the nervous system control
the reproductive behaviour in fruit
fl ies. With newly developed thermogenetic
methods, they can target individual
nerve networks and, for example,
trigger the mating song of the male fl y
“remotely”. Together with visual computing
experts of the Center for Virtual
Reality and Visualisation (VRVis) in
Vienna, the neurobiologists developed
“BrainGazer” – a software that produces
an interactive 3D atlas of the
fl y’s brain from tens of thousands of
confocal microscope images.

corporate responsibility
PROMOTING EXCELLENCE
LONG-TERM
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profi t
organisation committed to the promotion of the medical, biological,
chemical and pharmaceutical sciences. In particular, we support
outstanding young scientists. Our commitment to the Institute of
Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, is exemplary of our
approach to fostering excellent research.
A number of high-ranking representatives
of science and politics attended
the opening ceremony of the Institute
of Molecular Biology (IMB) at the
University of Mainz in March 2011.
The institute is contrived as a publicprivate
partnership between the
public sector and a private foundation.
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
pledged itself to endow the scientific
running of the IMB – and thus
promote excellence on a long-term
basis – by financing it with a total
of EUR 100 million over a period of
10 years. The federal state government
of Rhineland-Palatinate financed the
building of this modern research institute
to the tune of EUR 45.5 million.
The IMB and its affiliation with
the Johannes Gutenberg University
aim to strengthen the international
biomedical research in Mainz and, as
such, to attract leading scientists as
well as outstanding up-and-coming
young researchers.
In addition to the group of IMB’s
founding director, Prof. Christof
responsibility for future generations
The Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz,
Germany, was opened in March 2011. It is exemplary
for our approach to foster excellent research.
Promoting excellence long-term 33

Awarding of the Heinrich-Wieland-Prize 2011
(from left to right: Christoph Boehringer, prize
winner Prof. Franz-Ulrich Hartl, Prof. Konrad
Sandhof).
HEINRICH WIELAND PRIZE
The international prize is named
after the German chemist and Nobel
Prize laureate Heinrich Otto
Wieland (1877 – 1957) and has
been awarded annually since
1964 by an independent board
of trustees. Since 2011, the
Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
has endowed the international
Heinrich Wieland Prize with EUR
50,000. The prize honours outstanding
research on biologically
active molecules and systems and
its clinical impact in the areas of
chemistry, biochemistry and
physiology.
34
Boehringer Ingelheim annual report 2011
1
Niehrs, several Junior Researcher
Groups and two Senior Research
Groups have already taken up their
work at the IMB. Two further directors
are soon to be appointed. A total
of three directors` groups and 8 – 10
smaller research groups are planned,
all of which will have the institute’s
core facilities for bioinformatics,
cytometry, histology, high-end microscopy,
microarray analysis and next
generation sequencing at their disposal.
Research at the IMB concentrates on
three areas: developmental biology,
epigenetics and DNA repair. The
knowledge gained about these fundamental
biological phenomena from
basic research will provide more insight
into processes such as ageing
and the development of diseases like
cancer. The IMB thus combines longterm
basic research with its potential
to be of benefit to patients.
Heinrich Wieland Prize 2011
In 2011, the Heinrich Wieland Prize
went to Professor Franz-Ulrich Hartl,
director at the Max Planck Institute
of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany.
He and his colleagues discovered
that proteins do not fold spontaneously
within cells, but require the
assistance of other proteins known as
chaperones. Misfolded, aggregated
proteins play, for instance, a central
role in neuro degenerative diseases
such as Morbus Alzheimer, Chorea
Huntington and Morbus Parkinson.
Hartl’s pioneering work could therefore
paved the way for new approaches
for the prevention, diagnosis and
therapy of these illnesses.
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds:
Passion for science
The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF),
a non-profit foundation for basic biomedical
research, was called into
existence in 1983. The foundation is
known for its international Titisee
Conferences and, above all, for its
PhD fellowships for the promotion of
scientific excellence in international
basic research. It supports 120 outstanding
PhD students of all national-

1 BPA endothelial cells, coloured. Visible are the cell nucleus,
mitochondria and actin fi laments.
2 Research on developmental biology: sperm production in mice;
coloured histological preparations of mice sperm precursors.
3 The “Doctor of Medicine” (MD) Fellowship Programme of the
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds supports ongoing doctors of medicine
studying inGermany.
2
corporate responsibility
ities at any one time. The fellows, who
work in Europe and the USA, receive a
competitive monthly stipend, personal
support and participate in seminars.
Less than 10 per cent of all applicants
are admitted to the programme after
a challenging selection procedure. In
2011, applications for two of BIF’s programmes
reached an all-time high;
525 applications for PhD fellowships
and almost 200 for travel grants were
received by the administrative headquarters.
Bridging the gap between basic
research and medicine
For a few years now, the BIF has been
running a programme to support ongoing
doctors of medicine who have
opted to study in Germany and change
their workplace for their dissertation.
These “Doctor of Medicine” (MD)
fellow ships are designed to enable
talented young medical students to
pursue a challenging experimental
MD thesis in biomedical basic research
under state-of-the-art conditions.
They are given the opportunity
to learn new methods and techniques
under the auspices of leading scientists
in internationally renowned laboratories.
In addition to the financial
aspect of the fellowship, MD fellows
also receive the all-round personal
support that is one of BIF’s hallmarks.
Up to now, the BIF has awarded
fellowships to about 40 MD students,
the majority of which choose to do
research in the USA. The first MD
fellows have since published their
scientific results in renowned
scientific journals such as Science,
Molecular Cell or EMBO Journal and
some have already gone on to do a
doctorate in a scientific discipline
(PhD) after completing their MD.
3
responsibility for future generations
RESEARCH SUBJECT OF THE
HEINRICH WIELAND PRIZE
WINNER 2011:
PROTEIN FOLDING
The spatial structure of the cellular
protein factories (polyribosomes)
helps to prevent misfolding – a
polyribosome consists of several
individual ribosomes, which are
made of small (yellow) and large
(blue) subunits. Newly formed
proteins (red cones) maintain the
greatest possible distance from
one another to prevent aggregation
of neighbouring proteins.
Promoting excellence long-term
35