homogeneously, with a focus on clearly defined economic and technical goals. You are the patron of a material innovation prize, which is awarded by <strong>ThyssenKrupp</strong> and the Ruhr University in Bochum. Is this an example of how you want to move material research from the company to the research departments of universities? The answer to this question has several aspects. For one, we cooperate with a series of national and international universities to recruit potential managers. <strong>ThyssenKrupp</strong> Germany alone employs 8,837 university graduates, including 6,430 engineers. Since the inclination to take a technical degree is declining fast among younger generations, we are working on joint programs with the Ruhr University in Bochum to convince young people of the attractiveness of the engineering profession. In addition, we want to identify the most promising students in these subjects. The material innovation prize is an excellent instrument to do this. I have been in contact with the relevant staff at the Ruhr University for years to push ahead with a reform of engineering training. Aspiring engineers urgently need business skills. As a trained mechanical engineer who also studied economics, I know what I am talking about. An additional 20 percent of a degree should be dedicated to business issues in the future. Graduates should know how a company works, as well as the meaning of sales, production, procurement of charges, accounting and much more. They should be able to calculate and know what project and value management mean. In this way, they will internalize that their work serves to safeguard and increase the company’s value in the end. So the innovation prize helps you find the sought-after engineering recruits who are so scarce in Germany? The materials prize is indeed a suitable means of contacting young people who are of interest to our company. In any case, we don’t primarily look for these people among trained engineers. We need creative employees, with a feel for technology and business thinking. This prize allows us to enter into an interactive dialogue with the university at an early stage. What happens to the freedom of university research and teaching if you cooperate with a university? The freedom of research and teaching is an important function of uni- TK <strong>Magazin</strong>e | 1 | 2004 | INTERVIEW 61 versities, which we respect. But empty federal and state coffers mean that universities can no longer undertake just any research, without a goal. Public-sector budgets are being cut back, which means that competition among universities is getting tougher. The universities increasingly have to subject themselves to a ranking and become as attractive as possible in order to obtain third-party funds. In short, university staff have to seek contact with those who can honor their achievements financially. In this way, research and teaching are being co-financed. <strong>ThyssenKrupp</strong> AG maintains a lot of cooperation programs with other universities and schools, and the board members seek direct contact with these institutions. But aren’t these rather insufficient attempts for a high-technology company to find suitable employees, who – starting in the schools – are increasingly hard to find? I agree that the entire climate has to change. The environment looks very bleak. Students are less and less fascinated by technology. Young people rarely learn mathematics because they claim not to understand it. Even greater is the fear of getting an engineering degree, which means dealing in depth with mathematics, physics, mechanics, thermodynamics and chemistry. This skeptical attitude toward technology is reinforced by deteriorating political parameters. Various planned laws thus limit the scope or even threaten energy-intensive businesses in Germany. Meanwhile, politicians are concealing the fact that the processing industry will logically follow this departure in a cycle of seven to 10 years. I have the impression that the debate is being dominated by lawyers and sociologists. But no economy can stay above water with them and their concepts. How about a bit of optimism? As a realist, I analyze the facts first of all, and they don’t bode well for Germany’s technological development. But an entrepreneur also has to be optimistic. It is a hopeful sign that the federal government has declared 2004 to be the Year of Technology. <strong>ThyssenKrupp</strong> is contributing particularly actively to the various activities initiated by Federal Research and Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn. We have to keep lobbying on behalf of technology and innovation. We have to show young people that dealing with basic materials demands creativity, manual skills and in-depth technological know-how, and that working on solutions for technical problems yields a high level of personal and professional satisfaction. The interview was conducted by Heribert Klein Researchers are the drivers of innovation
62 EDWARD G. BUDD