Enactus: students committed to a better world

Enactus was set up in the United States under the name “SIFE” in 1975 and renamed Enactus in 2012. The name is made up of the initial letters of the three key principles of the organization “entrepreneurial”, “action” and “us”. “Entrepreneurial” stands for a business-oriented way of thinking, “action” for playing an active role to benefit disadvantaged people and “us” for shared values. With 37 independent national organizations and more than 60,000 students worldwide, Enactus is one of the largest non-political, non-profit student organizations.

Projects for people in need

Enactus students are organized in teams at their respective universities and launch their own corporate projects to overcome challenges in society, industry and the environment. Students apply business-oriented thinking and business management methods to provide support for people in need throughout the world. The aim is to enable them to take on projects themselves and continue them independently. The Enactus teams are supported by various partner companies and universities.

How is Bayer involved in Enactus?

Since 2003, Enactus has also been working in Germany and is now represented at 41 universities. Thirty companies promote Enactus in Germany, and Bayer is one of the main sponsors. In addition to organizing the annual “Students meet enterprises” career fair and special workshops for teams and team leaders, Bayer also acts as a sponsor and juror to Enactus teams as part of its CSR commitment. Employees at Bayer’s in-house business consulting unit offer Enactus students help with issues relating to project work, delegating, cost planning and time management. And Georg Müller, Head of HR Germany at Bayer, is a member of the Board of Management of Enactus Germany.

The Enactus World Cup

Once a year, the Enactus university teams pit their projects against each other and present them to a panel of judges comprising representatives of Enactus partner companies. Firstly, the participants for the German final are selected in the Regional Cups, the winner of this final then competing in the World Cup. The 2013 World Cup was held in Cancun, Mexico, where 36 teams showcased their corporate projects. Germany was represented by the team from TU Munich and was the deserving World Cup winner.

Enactus as a cooperation partner

Enactus gives business sponsors the opportunity to make contact with talented young people from around the world. As for the students, they learn very early on what it means to link entrepreneurial activities with social responsibility and, through their projects, improve the lives of disadvantaged people. Enactus thus follows a philosophy that is very similar to the mission statement “Bayer: Science For A Better Life” and makes the organization an outstanding cooperation partner for Bayer throughout the world.

Are you interested in Enactus? You’ll find further information on the Enactus website http://enactus.org or by contacting Bayer University Marketing at universitymarketing@bayer.com.