In the context of its corporate social responsibility, the Bayer Group continued developing existing programs, established additional projects and took part in important initiatives. As an official sponsor of World Youth Day 2005 in Germany, the company supported this event in various ways. At the heart of these activities were three major assemblies at the BayArena soccer stadium in Leverkusen attended by tens of thousands of helpers and pilgrims.

Young people play a special role in all social initiatives sponsored by Bayer. In the second year of its partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the company implemented and supported a dozen environmental projects for young people around the globe. With Bayer’s support, for example, UNEP was able to set up regional youth networks in Asia and organize the Tunza International Youth Conference, the second world youth environmental summit, from October 12 to 18, 2005, in Bangalore, India. This congress gave 150 youth representatives of national environmental organizations from 67 countries the opportunity not just to further improve their environmental knowledge and build networks, but also to formulate interests that young people around the world associate with the topic of environmental protection. These interests are communicated to the political decision-making bodies of UNEP.

The two partners are now also jointly and successfully implementing youth environmental projects originally established by Bayer. For example, students of various disciplines from nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region took part in the Eco-Minds sustainability forum in the Philippine capital of Manila in order to jointly develop practical solutions to environmental problems in that part of the world. As a guest of honor on the opening day of the event, Bayer Management Board member Dr. Udo Oels welcomed Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as well as more than 200 representatives of industry, politics, academia and society. The visit by the Young Environmental Envoys to Leverkusen in the fall of 2005 rounded out the joint activities of Bayer and UNEP. At Bayer’s invitation, 50 particularly dedicated young people from 14 countries in Asia, eastern Europe, Latin America and – for the first time – Africa traveled to Germany for one week in order to learn first-hand about environmental protection.

One of the many initiatives established by Bayer to promote science literacy celebrated the 10th anniversary of its founding in 2005. Initially introduced in the United States, the Making Science Make Sense program has since been expanded to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan. As part of this program, more than 1,200 Bayer employees in the United States alone volunteer their time to visit elementary schools, where they make science more attractive to the children through exciting experiments designed to explain everyday things. At the beginning of 2006, Bayer received the prestigious Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership – the only U.S. presidential award to honor companies for their activities in the social sector – for Making Science Make Sense. This was the first time the award had been given to a company with global headquarters outside the U.S. and also to a chemical company.

In the area of social and health advancement, Bayer has established several new projects aimed at meeting the basic needs of people in the newly industrializing countries in particular. Together with the Washington, D.C.-based National Geographic Society, the world’s largest charitable organization in the scientific field, Bayer has set up the Global Exploration Fund in order to promote innovative drinking water and freshwater research. This makes Bayer the first private-sector partner from outside the United States to enter a long-term collaboration with National Geographic.

In the fight against epidemic diseases, Bayer has formed a partnership with the U.S.-based non-profit organization Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug Development (TB Alliance). The goal of this partnership is to develop a tuberculosis application for the existing antibiotic moxifloxacin in order to shorten the duration of treating the disease, which currently lasts six months. Should studies prove successful, the new product will be provided to patients in developing countries at affordable prices.

Bayer quickly aided victims of the recent natural disasters through financial, medical and material donations. In addition, numerous Bayer employees participated with tremendous personal dedication in relief efforts mounted in the areas hit by flooding in the United States, as well as in those regions struck by earthquakes and in the Asian countries devastated by the tsunami in late 2004. The company made relief shipments worth EUR 13 million to assist victims of the tsunami alone and has since supported various reconstruction projects in the region.