Bayer Foundation launches Aspirin Social Award

Dr. Pott, member of the Bayer Board of Management: “We want to reward specific projects and recognize the importance of innovative social work in the health sector” / Closing date for entries is November 30, 2009 / Ideas from the general public increase prize money / Anyone can rate entries online

Leverkusen, September 8, 2009 – The “Bayer Cares Foundation” is presenting the “Aspirin Social Award”, honoring innovative, non-profit social projects in the health sector in Germany. Entries can be submitted until November 30, 2009 at www.aspirin-sozialpreis.de. The award will be presented for the first time in spring 2010 and then annually from then on.

Awards will be given for support and consultation services that provide effective help for people, demonstrate verifiably successful management of a project, and pursue new ideas and approaches. The overall winner will receive EUR 15,000 of the total EUR 30,000 prize money, the runner-up EUR 10,000 and third place winner EUR 5,000. Organizations and initiatives themselves can enter and the award is also actively aimed at members of the public. The overall winner’s prize money will be increased by five euros (up to a maximum of EUR 5,000) for each entry from a project sponsor that is based on an idea from the public. In addition, anyone can assess entries in an online voting procedure. Pharmacists throughout Germany are involved in the competition, using brochures and posters to promote the “Aspirin Social Award”.

“We have three objectives with the ‘Aspirin Social Award’. Firstly, we support specific projects; secondly, we reward the major importance to the community that social work has in the health sector and seek to enhance public awareness of this; and thirdly, we are looking to support innovations in this area,” explains Dr. Richard Pott, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG responsible for Strategy and Human Resources and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bayer foundation.

In Germany, over 100,000 non-profit organizations and initiatives are active in the social sector. Yet demand for social services continues, particularly in the health sector. The institutions involved are tasked with looking for new, effective approaches in their project work.

“Aspirin has provided effective, reliable help for 110 years. With the slogan ‘Support that works’, we are establishing an award designed to enhance these benefits, which are of such importance to society today,” said Urs Hartmann, head of the Consumer Care Division at Bayer Vital GmbH, explaining the name of the award.

Judging and public voting

Projects will be selected in a two-stage process. All valid proposals submitted in the entry period will be profiled at www.aspirin-sozialpreis.de. Nine projects will be preselected with support from specialist project consultant Dieter Brübach, Chairman of the Deutsche Spendenparlament [German Donation Parliament] initiative. A further candidate will be selected from a public vote, with everyone able to personally assess entries on the Internet from December 1 to 31. The winner of this public vote will be sure of a place on the overall shortlist of 10 candidates.

The final judging and selection of the top three winners will be performed by an independent scientific committee from the “Bayer Cares Foundation”, made up of experts in social commitment and from the health sector. It will be chaired by Professor André Habisch, Professor for Christian Social Ethics and Society at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bayer Cares Foundation.

Bayer Cares Foundation

The Bayer Cares Foundation launched by Bayer AG in 2007 supports social initiatives. As well as the recently established “Aspirin Social Award”, it supports social projects involving employees and citizens working in and around Bayer sites on a voluntary basis. The foundation also promotes long-term reconstruction projects and provides immediate aid for people who suddenly find themselves in acute hardship due to natural disasters.

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