Science & Education

Hasso Plattner considers the free education that he received at the University of Karlsruhe to be the foundation of his success. As one of the founders of SAP, he also believes in the opportunities offered by digital technology. The Foundation supports the following research and education initiatives designed to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies:

• The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), a faculty of the University of Potsdam, which is dedicated to IT systems engineering. One area of focus for HPI is Digital Health, where the institute cooperates with the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) in New York City
• The founding of schools of design thinking such as the HPI School of Design Thinking at the University of Potsdam, the Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking at the University of Cape Town and the Design Thinking School of the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
• Data4Life, a nonprofit organization focused on developing platforms that enable researchers to derive insights from health data

Social & Conservation

To preserve our planet for future generations, the Foundation supports environmental conservation and educational projects through the Sabine Plattner African Charities (SPAC) and Embark in Knowledge, among others:

• SPAC is a non-profit organization which combines education and scientific research for a sustainable approach to conservation. It focuses on the protection of nature through education and community engagement. With its various projects running from preschool to tertiary levels, SPAC’s footprint covers several countries across Africa with particular focus on the rainforests in the Congo-basin. The organization’s flagship projects are Early Childhood Development, EduConservation, and the Conservation and Research Program 
• Through Embark in Knowledge, the Foundation supports youth education, science, and health care activities. One such initiative is the Inkcubeko Youth and Science Center in South Africa.  Through its activities, Inkcubeko aims to increase youth’s interest in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and innovation 

Art & Culture

Hasso Plattner’s personal interest in art has led him to become a collector of Impressionist and German twentieth-century art. To share this art collection with the public, the Foundation enabled the establishment of the Museum Barberini and DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam. The operation of the Museums of the Hasso Plattner Foundation – the Museum Barberini and DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam – is supported by the Foundation with an annual contribution between 12-16 million Euros. In addition, the Foundation is committed to provenance research and the preservation of cultural heritage. To foster connections through art and culture, the Foundation supports the following initiatives:

• The Museum Barberini in Potsdam, which showcases classical and contemporary art with a focus on Impressionism
• DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam, which focuses on contemporary art and art from the German Democratic Republic 
• The Wildenstein Plattner Institute, which is dedicated to the compilation of digital catalogue raisonnés and archives that support research in the field of art history
• TALES is a non-profit, multi-media production and publishing initiative dedicated to using the power of storytelling to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of our shared humanity and the planet we call home