ThyssenKrupp AG has been involved in promoting technology among young people and the promotion of excellence for some time. The "Discovering Future Technology" initiative is a further example of the Group's commitment to Germany as a technology location. The objective is to generate greater enthusiasm for technology among young people and establish the conditions for innovations. In addition to its "Ideas Park", the Group is launching further educational support activities to establish its commitment on a long-term basis.

The urgently needed change to a more innovation-friendly environment requires greater efforts in schools. The need for action is greatest here as the foundations for enthusiasm or skepticism with respect to technology are laid at school. Unfortunately, technology is rarely included in lessons at German schools. However, committed teachers and students are involved in a large number of technology projects outside the official curriculum, which the public is barely aware of. Above all, due to a lack of money, they cannot work as well as they could with clear financial support.

This is where the "People with ideas" program comes in. ThyssenKrupp and the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) newspaper have jointly launched this support program for schools and non-profit organizations to find projects or courses promoting technical understanding and technical skills which have already been successfully realized. The aim is to promote the variety of school-based initiatives and reward personal initiative. From now until the end of 2006, 20 projects will each receive EUR5,000 in support under the motto "Technology at school". With a total support fund of EUR100,000, the "People with ideas" program is one of the largest school projects in the country.

First and foremost, the support program is about the application of knowledge in concrete technical solutions. For this reason, practical results will be honored in particular when selecting the projects to receive support. The program is open to all types of schools and all age groups. Kindergartens and other non-profit organizations can also enter.

The entry forms can be downloaded from the website www.zukunft-technik-entdecken.de. Information about the progress of the program will also be posted here. All entries will be gathered at ThyssenKrupp and then judged.

There will be two rounds for entries:

The first round will run from March 17 to April 24. The winners will be announced on May 20 in the Saturday edition of the WAZ and at the Ideas Park being staged by ThyssenKrupp and its partners in Hanover. The prize winners will be invited to the Ideas Park.

The second round will run from the beginning of September to the beginning of October. The winners will be announced at the end of October.

An additional prize of EUR5,000 voted by the general public will be awarded in each round to one of the selected projects, aimed at motivating students to continue to support "their" project. Votes can be cast via the website www.zukunft-technik-entdecken.de.

In order to promote contacts between the individual projects, ThyssenKrupp and the WAZ will invite all winners to an exchange of experience.