Our Foundation has received the task to cooperate in research and planning of long-term developments in our finite world being shaped by technologies. By surveying developments far ahead in time standards for the way we act today have to be developed. In view of the inertia in the fundamental conversion processes in technology and in our society (i.e. the power industry with cycles of 50-70 years) this is no intellectual gimmicks, it is however of existential importance for humanity.

Only by thinking in long term periods going far beyond our own lifetimes, and even further beyond the time of our active professional lives, we can fulfill the responsibility we have for the coming generations. Only if we enter a level of imagination above our day-to-day decisions in research and science, in technology and industry, in society and in politics, and being aware of its necessity we will really have the chance to survive.

Our daily work in a world which is becoming increasingly complicated is shaped of dynamic processes. It prevents us from stepping aside and view the long-term problems from a distance for an orientation along long-term visions.

We are beginning to understand that one person, one enterprise, one administration and one government alone can hardly solve this problem, even once the problems have been recognized.. Society as a whole is addressed and called upon, if a success to solve the current global problems should be earnestly reached. These problems include restructuring agricultural processes and the power industry, population growth in the Third World, environmental pollution, forest depreciation and unemployment.

Our society is more or less aware that we are part of a common fate. However, we are learning with increasing intensity every day that effective solutions cannot be reached by decisions taken in the framework of limited political time-cycles. Measures directed at safeguarding our grandchildren’s life demand renunciation and massive additional engagement from ourselves, the ones who are appreciating the world’s amenities today. It is difficult to convey this to our today’s’ societies living on day-to-day premises.

The Foundation was created to elaborate well-positioned statements, their dissemination, irrespective of details. The statements shall be understandable for non-experts, to make the strategic decisions for coming generations assertive today."

Dipl.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E.h.mult. Ludwig Bölkow