All the award-winning students were presented with a certificate and prize money of 75 euros by the sponsors, the University President and the Vice President for Knowledge and Technology Transfer, Prof Dr René Fahr. The Förderpreis der Wirtschaft is awarded for special achievements in the natural science subjects mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics. The awards were given to the best students in classes eight and nine of all 26 grammar schools and comprehensive schools in the Hochstift region.

The Förderpreis is financed by companies based in the region and awarded in cooperation with the University's Staff Office for University Networking and Fundraising. Riegraf praised the outstanding achievements of the students and encouraged them to continue their commitment. "In order to be able to cope with the great challenges we face in the areas of climate protection, sustainability or artificial intelligence, we need students who are as committed as you are, especially in the natural sciences and engineering." She also thanked the participating companies: "Without the great support of the sponsors, this event would not be possible. The fact that it has been able to take place so successfully for sixteen years now is the result of a sustainable cooperation between the university and the municipality, the districts of Höxter and Paderborn and, above all, the regional companies that are involved here with great continuity."

VerbundVolksbank OWL has also been committed to the Förderpreis der Wirtschaft for a long time. "The companies in our economic region will continue to be in urgent need of good young talent in the future. The talent is there, you just have to find it. The Förderpreis der Wirtschaft is a good instrument to make these talents visible to companies at an early stage. That is why we, as a regional cooperative bank, are very happy to support the Förderpreis," emphasises Thorsten Heggen, press spokesman for VerbundVolksbank OWL.

In addition to VerbundVolksbank OWL, the sponsors include the company dSPACE, the Claas Foundation Harsewinkel and the sponsoring community from the district of Höxter, consisting of the companies HEGLA GmbH & Co KG (Beverungen), Mahrenholz GmbH, (Beverungen) and Vauth-Sagel GmbH (Brakel). The representatives of the Paderborn districts (District Administrator Christoph Rüther for Paderborn and District Director Klaus Schumacher for Höxter) and the city of Paderborn (Deputy Mayor Sabine Kramm) presented a Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum voucher.

Good news at the start of the winter semester at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences: The endowed professorship "Autonomous, Collaborative Agricultural and Sensor Systems" has been filled. With Prof Dr Mario Theers, the university has been able to recruit a proven expert for this subject area, which plays a significant role in modern agricultural technology.

After positions in research and practice now at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück

After studying physics at RWTH Aachen University, the 34-year-old worked as a doctoral student at the Jülich Research Centre. He then developed algorithms for automated driving at ZF Automotive in Düsseldorf and was involved in several research and development projects. What appeals to him about the endowed professorship? - "Of course, the teaching and the exchange with the students. In addition, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, with its success story of interdisciplinary research in agricultural engineering and its innovative Agro-Technicum, offers an excellent environment for exciting research projects," says Theers.

New Agro-Technicum is one of the most modern research infrastructures in Europe

The Agro-Technicum, which opened a few months ago, is one of the most modern research infrastructures for agricultural systems engineering and field robotics in Europe. Developed at the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics (IuI) at the Westerberg campus, it houses a research hall with five laboratories and an experimental field where, for example, autonomous field robots are tested in long-term use.

For many years, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences has enjoyed a high reputation in the field of agricultural robotics and sensor systems - throughout Germany and internationally. Prof Dr Arno Ruckelshausen, who has been setting standards in this field for decades with projects in research, development and transfer, has played a decisive role in shaping this good reputation. Mario Theers will succeed him in the medium term.

Five regional foundations enable the establishment of the professorship

The establishment of the endowed professorship was made possible thanks to five regional foundations. Together, the Aloys & Brigitte Coppenrath Foundation, the CLAAS Foundation, the Dieter Fuchs Foundation, the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation and the Stiftung Stahlwerk Georgsmarienhütte Foundation have supported Lower Saxony's largest university of applied sciences in further expanding its strong position in agricultural engineering through the new professorship. The five foundations have made a total of 625,000 euros available for this purpose.

Success story to continue

"I would like to sincerely thank the founders for their remarkable commitment," says University President Prof Dr Andreas Bertram. The establishment of the endowed professorship illustrates anew: the university and the region stick together and strengthen each other.

The Dean of the Faculty IuI and Vice President for Studies and Teaching, Prof Dr Alexander Schmehmann, is also grateful for the support of the regional players: "And with Prof Dr Mario Theers, our endowed professorship is first-class: His outstanding professional know-how in theory and practice, his teaching competence and also international experience speak for this. I am looking forward to our new colleague and with him to a new chapter in our success story," says Schmehmann.

Please find the latest experience of our current exchange student, Fynn Lammers, below:

'Within the CLAAS Foundation’s University Twinning Program between Harper Adams University and the University of Applied Science Osnabrück I got the chance to study two master degrees at the same time: a two-year master course in M.Sc. „Applied Crop Science“ at the University of applied science Osnabrück and a one-year master in M.Res. „Precision Farming“ at the Harper Adams University which is integrated in my master studies in Osnabrück. My research project, which is the main part of my studies at Harper Adams University, deals with autonomous crop farming in Germany. Even though the number of autonomous equipment for crop farming increases fast, only a bit is known about the economic feasibility and possibilities of the adoption into the current production processes. Therefore, I evaluate and compare different approaches of autonomous equipment with the current conventional technologies from an economic point of view. Prof. Dr. James Lowenberg-DeBoer in the UK and Prof. Dr. Hubert Korte in Germany supervise my project – so I have supervisors from both universities, which are in each case specialist for agricultural economics and agriculture technologies. Furthermore, I am in a close contact with the HandsFreeFarm-project that farms 35 ha with autonomous equipment. Besides my study work, I take part in the usual student life such as the engineering society, the HAU football club or the student union events. This project is a great experience for me and I learn a great deal about autonomy and about international scientific work. Thank you to all involved parties, which made this programme possible.'

A kit of various components was given to the participating schools in advance by the CLAAS Foundation and had to be assembled with precision and perseverance. Each school received class sets of 20 metal construction kit tractors, which were assembled in class.

The pupils then had to compete in three disciplines with their electrically powered tractors last Saturday in a hall at CLAAS Weser-Ems GmbH in Molbergen. Speed counted in the slalom course, dexterity was important in the obstacle course, and on the agricultural course the small tractors had to pass narrow obstacles and park in reverse in a barn.

"Our aim is to ensure that technology, science, mathematics and computer science are firmly established in schools at an early age. In addition, technology should be fun, and that's most fun when you're working with others," said Sylvia Looks from the CLAAS Foundation Board of Directors.

During the break, CLAAS Weser-Ems Managing Director Ingo Ordel invited the pupils to take a ride on real agricultural machinery and experience agricultural technology on a large scale.

Finally, the highlight and conclusion of the competition was the award ceremony. The team "TrekkerBres 1" stood at the top of the podium and received 300 euros for their class coffers, 2nd place and 200 euros went to "Agrartechnik Wirkner" and "Team Lilpeep" took 3rd place with 100 euros.

Various types of vegetables are gradually planted in the generously proportioned area, which then need to be tended. For the second planting, heat-loving varieties such as tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins will move into the beds. A reseeding will take place in August.

The school garden is intended to create a better sense of nature, food production and also its marketing among the students of year seven and eight. "We are very excited about this garden as it is a great addition to our otherwise more technical funding projects," says Sylvia Looks from the Foundation's Board of Directors. "And it fits right in with our idea of getting the younger generation interested in agricultural issues as early as possible. In addition, this programme is designed to run for several years and we are thus complying with the idea of sustainability " With this initiative, the CLAAS Foundation would above all like to actively contribute to strengthening the agricultural understanding of the coming generations.

In addition, there will also be an agricultural use of the garden: While many subjects such as "agriculture, nutrition and sustainability", biology, chemistry, politics and geography can be directly integrated, there is to be a special "SmartGarden 4.0" project for computer science, STEM, robotics and physics. There will also be corresponding further training for teachers.

The school garden will initially be funded for three years and will, of course, be continued and cultivated by the students beyond that time.

Who is the 'GemüseAckerdemie'?

The 'GemüseAckerdemie' is an educational programme of the non-profit association Acker e.V., which was initiated and founded by Dr Christoph Schmitz in 2014. Within the multi-year, practice-oriented educational programme, children and young people grow up to 30 types of vegetables in the field.

The AgTEx Doctoral Thesis Prize is awarded to doctoral candidates with a focus on agricultural engineering

Then we are looking for applications for the AgTEx Doctoral Thesis Prize 2022. The closing date for the application is the 1st July 2022.

The prize has a value of 5.000 Euro for free use by the successful applicant. Next to the financial recognition, the winning candidate will also be invited to the annual Award Presentation of the CLAAS Foundation and to become involved with the successive Prize selection in 2024.

What is the application process?

The application submission consists of a summary of your concept and first achievements of your doctoral project and a description of your project plan to completion, which must cover one of the following topics:

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to your application!

CLAAS Stiftung
Sylvia Looks
Postfach 1163
33426 Harsewinkel
Germany

E-Mail: stiftung@claas.com
www.claas-foundation.com

The CLAAS Foundation can help you – up to a maximum amount of 1500 Euro per team. Apply for a seed funding to get your first robot going and email us your application consisting of the following content by 2nd May 2022:

The team selection will completed by the end of May 2022.

Looking forward to your application.

CLAAS Foundation FAO: Sylvia Looks Muehlenwinkel 1 33428 Harsewinkel Email: stiftung@claas.com

The Field Robot Event 2022 takes place from 14. – 16. June 2022 on the "Ausstellungs- und Handelszentrum" at Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, collocated with the DLG-Feldtage.

Please read more on http://www.fieldrobot.com/event/

With the Federal Cross of Merit, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honoured Dr. Garbers' decades of voluntary work in agricultural machinery associations and foundations.

Dr. Garbers is still involved today as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees in the CLAAS Foundation, which aims to get young people interested in modern agricultural technologies and related sciences. He played a key role in the establishment of the CLAAS Foundation in 1999 and was a strong advocate for STEM promotion in schools.

"He has continuously accompanied the Foundation as a valuable, guiding advisor from the very beginning," says Sylvia Looks (Executive Board of the CLAAS Foundation).As a mechanical engineer with a doctorate (University of Braunschweig), he built up a network within the industry, the university and association landscape at an early stage.

Dr. Hermann Garbers worked for many years in the Association of German Engineers (VDI) in the field of agricultural technology and was also active for more than 15 years in the Agricultural Technology Association of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). He was one of the initiators and founding members of the VDMA Steering Committee for Agricultural Engineering, which has established itself as a strategic management body in all technological matters. In 2010, he was elected Chairman of the Board and held this office until 2016. In this capacity, he was instrumental in the reorientation of the European industry association CEMA, which today has great influence on the European Commission when it comes to regulations for agricultural technology.

In his professional career, Dr. Garbers contributed to the successful development of the CLAAS Group, which he joined in 1984. After holding positions as Head of Preliminary Development and Technical Development Planning for the entire product range, he took over the development of the successful combine harvester range from 1988. His era as Managing Director for Technology and Quality began in 1999 and lasted until his retirement in 2014.

Dr. Hermann Garbers worked for many years in the Association of German Engineers (VDI) in the field of agricultural technology and was also active for more than 15 years in the Agricultural Technology Association of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). He was one of the initiators and founding members of the VDMA Steering Committee for Agricultural Engineering, which has established itself as a strategic management body in all technological matters. In 2010, he was elected Chairman of the Board and held this office until 2016. In this capacity, he was instrumental in the reorientation of the European industry association CEMA, which today has great influence on the European Commission when it comes to regulations for agricultural technology.

In his professional career, Dr. Garbers contributed to the successful development of the CLAAS Group, which he joined in 1984. After holding positions as Head of Preliminary Development and Technical Development Planning for the entire product range, he took over the development of the successful combine harvester range from 1988. His era as Managing Director for Technology and Quality began in 1999 and lasted until his retirement in 2014.

The guests and other prize-winners joined the ceremony online. Sylvia Looks, CLAAS Foundation Executive Board, was nonetheless visibly pleased that the prize-winners were once again able to attend the award ceremony in person: “These students really have done such great work within their academic fields – work with real added value for agriculture and agricultural technology; it is so lovely to meet them and once again present their prizes to them face to face.”

First to take place was the event with Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, who now succeeds her father as Chair of the Board of Trustees: “I am delighted to be able to preserve my father’s aims, ideas and values by awarding the Helmut Claas scholarships, thereby helping to support highly promising up-and-coming talent.”

The CLAAS Foundation was founded in 1999 and has since awarded the Helmut Claas scholarships, bonus prizes and international prizes on an annual basis. In total, the 15 prize-winners from Germany, Hungary, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Russia, Romania, Slovakia and Poland received more than €40,000 in prize money from the foundation.

The individual prizes were awarded as follows:

Scholarships:

1st prize: Julius Willmaring from Osnabrück University took first place with his work on topology optimisation and economic and functional potential analysis for the use of 3D printing in the production of agricultural machinery. This means that he will receive €7,200 in financial support.

2nd prize: Fynn Lammers won second prize, worth over €6,000. His thesis examined new methods of chemical crop protection by means of injection techniques. He is also a graduate of Osnabrück University. 

3rd prize: Marcell Szalai, a student of Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), succeeded in securing third place, thereby receiving €4,800 in prize money. He carried out a scientific examination of the design of power harrows.

4th prize: Markus Stauder from the University of Hohenheim took fourth place with his paper on the challenges presented by mixed cultivation, with particular consideration given to different sowing methods. He received €3,600 in prize money.

Bonus prizes:

In addition to the annual scholarships, five bonus prizes, each worth €1,500, were also awarded.

In the “Innovation” category, an award was given in recognition of the work of Valeria Lotz and Eva Wasserloos. Lotz completed her thesis on the potential of crowdsourcing in the field of food product development at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. Wasserloos, from the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn, focused on parameters and characteristics of sensor technology in the dairy industry.

The award for the “Health and Safety in Agriculture” category went to Emily Jones, a graduate of Harper Adams University (England). The advancement of farm safety was her chosen topic.

Philip Francis Pinn won the prize for the “Product Validation” category. He investigated new teeth configurations in the spreader units of manure spreaders with the aim of improving distribution. He also completed his thesis at Harper Adams University (England).

Sophia Levitskaja from University College Roosevelt (Netherlands) also won an award. She undertook a critical examination of water quality controls and compared the results of elaborate, costly processes with those of inexpensive ones. Her thesis was therefore included in the “Innovation in Agriculture” category.

International Student Prizes:

The International Student Prizes worth €2,000 each were awarded to students from Banat University of Agricultural Sciences in Timisoara (Romania), the University of Technology and Economics in Budapest (Hungary), Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands), the University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia), the Kuban State Agrarian University in Krasnodar (Russia) and Poznan University of Life Sciences (Poland).

Photos:

CLAAS Stiftung_01: The scholarship recipients with their certificates – from left: Sylvia Looks (CLAAS Foundation Executive Board), Markus Stauder (4th prize), Marcell Szalai (3rd prize), Fynn Lammers (2nd prize), Julius Willmaring (1st prize), Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser and Frank Klüsener (CLAAS Foundation Executive Board)

CLAAS Stiftung_02: Fynn Lammers (2nd prize) presents his degree thesis on new methods of chemical crop protection by means of injection techniques to the online public.

CLAAS Stiftung_03: Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser offers her thoughts on supporting up-and-coming talent in an interview with Frank Klüsener (CLAAS Foundation Executive Board).

CLAAS Stiftung_04: Frank Klüsener and Sylvia Looks (CLAAS Foundation Executive Board)

About the CLAAS Foundation

The foundation works with an international jury of experts from the field of agricultural science and cooperates with prestigious universities in Germany and abroad. The foundation capital is €10 million. Besides awarding the Helmut Claas Scholarship, the CLAAS Foundation supports international university research projects and promotes school initiatives that inspire schoolchildren to embrace natural sciences and engineering.

Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences has made a name for itself in the national and international professional world when it comes to the fields of "agricultural robotics" and "sensor systems", both in research and teaching and in the transfer of knowledge into practice.

"I would like to sincerely thank the donors for their initiative," says University President Prof Dr Andreas Bertram. "Our university has grown in and with the region and continues to do so. The close interaction with the many actors in the agricultural sector is fundamental to this and a guarantor for ever new innovations. Through their joint commitment, the foundations ensure that we can continue to write this success story."

In keeping with the new professorship, the "Agro-Technicum" is currently being built at Osnbabrück University of Applied Sciences, one of the most modern research facilities for agricultural systems technology and field robotics in Europe. It has a research hall equipped with five laboratories. In the future, autonomous field robots, among other things, can be tested in long-term use on the associated test field. "As the CLAAS Foundation, we want to be involved in the topics of robotics and sensor systems. And the close connection to practice that the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences cultivates was another reason for us to support the foundation professorship," says Sylvia Looks.

In addition to the CLAAS Foundation, the Aloys & Brigitte Coppenrath Foundation, the Dieter Fuchs Foundation, the Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation and the Georgsmarienhütte Steelworks Foundation are also involved.

The CLAAS Foundation was established in 1999 under the patronage of Helmut Claas and has an endowment capital of around 10 million euros. Participation in the endowed chair was made possible by the numerous donations received by the CLAAS Foundation on the occasion of Helmut Claas' passing away in January this year.

Image:

Representatives of the foundations and the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences gathered in front of the emerging research area around the Agro-Technicum on the Westerberg campus. Photo: Mirko Müller/Hochschule Osnabrück

Until now, Helmut Claas, as the founder of the Foundation, was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for over 20 years. After his death in January 2021, his daughter Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser will now take up his place. As a graduate in business administration, she is looking forward to supporting the Foundation’s projects and thus promoting the next generation and getting them excited about agriculture and technology. From projects for pupils to the promotion of students, for example with scholarships, to the support of universities, the CLAAS Foundation offers a wide range of activities that is only possible with the help of a network that has been established and cultivated over many years.

Thomas Böck, CEO of the CLAAS Group, replaces Hermann Lohbeck, whose term on the Board of Trustees had expired regularly. As a technology-oriented manager, he focuses on forward-looking innovations with high customer benefits in the CLAAS Group. Such innovations are not only created internally in the company’s own development centres, but often in cooperation with the research departments of universities or with students who bring new ideas to the table as part of their project work and final theses.

The CLAAS Foundation was established in 1999 under the patronage of Helmut Claas and has a foundation capital of around 10 million euros.

With the establishment of the CLAAS Foundation in 1999, he laid the basis for the charitable support of young people in agricultural engineering and related disciplines. It was a matter close to his heart to accompany and support young international and national talents on their educational path. With the CLAAS Foundation, he has created a lasting legacy.

We are going to continue the work of the CLAAS Foundation in his spirit.

We are grateful that Helmut Claas shaped our Foundation for over 20 years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees with a great deal of heart and soul and dedication.

We will miss him very much.

Harsewinkel, January 2021

Board of Trustees and Executive Board of the CLAAS Foundation

At the awards ceremony, students usually present their submitted theses and their research areas. Due to the Covid pandemic, this annual event as the traditional highlight of the CLAAS Foundation year was held in a virtual format for the first time. Sylvia Looks, member of the Executive Board of the CLAAS Foundation, explained: "We are not going to let Covid get on top of us, but instead we stick to the idea of the CLAAS Foundation and will continue to support talents in the fields of agriculture and agricultural engineering". Frank Klüsener, member of the Executive Board of the CLAAS Foundation, also emphasised: "Let us honour the academic achievements of these students as well as their personal commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to agriculture and related areas despite these challenging times".

Live Broadcast - Awards Ceremony from home:

For more than 20 years, the Helmut Claas-Scholarships, Bonus Prizes and International Student Prizes of a this year’s value of over 36,000 euros have been awarded to young talents from various international universities. 13 students from Germany, England, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Russia and Uzbekistan received awards.

In detail, the following prizes were awarded:

Scholarships:

1st Prize: Linda Richter, student at OWL University of Applied Sciences in Höxter, was awarded the first prize – a scholarship of the amount of 7,200 euros. She studied environmental engineering and her bachelor thesis, which she wrote in cooperation with a Norwegian university, dealt with the topic „Recovery of Nutrients from Urine by Precipitation of Struvite“.

2nd Prize: Johannes Frey can celebrate his second place and a scholarship of 6,000 euros. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen. His final thesis is on “the development of mechanical weed regulation in mobile agricultural robotics“.

3rd Prize: The Third place, which is endowed with 4,800 euros, went to Jan Rebmann, student at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University in the field of agricultural sciences. In his work, he “investigated the performance of a camera-controlled hoe for plant population development”.

4th Prize: Abigail Allen studied at Harper Adams University (UK) and was awarded 4th place for her work and thus a scholarship of 3,600 euros. In her final thesis, she investigated the properties of buckwheat for the weed suppression of black-grass.

Bonus prizes:

In addition to the full one-year scholarships, two bonus prizes worth 1,500 euros each were awarded.

In the category "Food Marketing", Hannah Baldwin from Harper Adams University (UK) was honoured for her work on investigating the microbial properties of turkeys in slaughterhouses.

In the "Agricultural Engineering and Management" category, Johannes Munz from the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences received the bonus prize for his investigations in the use of a forage harvester in grain harvesting.

International Student Prizes:

The International Student Prizes, worth 2,000 euros each, went to students of the Banat University of Agricultural Sciences in Timisoara (Romania), the Budapest University of Technology and Economy (Hungary), the Wageningen University (Netherlands), the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia), the Kuban State Agrarian University (Russia) and the Poznan University of Life Sciences (Poland).

A further grant was given to Dilshod Umarov from Uzbekistan, student of the International Master’s Degree in Agricultural Management at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf.

The Helmut Claas Scholarships, Bonus Prizes and International Student Prizes with a total value of over 60,000 euros were awarded to young talents from Bulgaria, Germany, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, Poland and Romania.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the foundation, Prof. Dr. Kottkamp, former Chairman of the Management Board of CLAAS KGaA mbH and pioneer of the foundation at the award ceremony, pointed out the importance of promoting education for the future. "I am more interested in the future than in the past, because I intend to live in it," he concluded with a quote from Albert Einstein. Dr. Hermann Gabers, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees, took a look at the development of the CLAAS Foundation, which started in 1999 with an foundation’s capital stock of DM 1.5 million. Since then, more than 150 Helmut Claas scholarships and bonus prizes have been awarded. Together with the funding of university projects in total 2 million euros where donated. The CLAAS Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Germany with today 10 million euros foundation's capital stock.

"We are currently going ahead with the expansion of our international network," says Sylvia Looks of the CLAAS Foundation's Board of Directors. Since 2007, every year a university from a different country has been supported in research and teaching. The foundation now has over 40 partner universities around the world.

The CLAAS Foundation promotes up-and-coming talents: award winners, board of trustees and jury met for a group photo after the award ceremony.

At the award ceremony, the students gave an insight in their final theses and presented details of their research areas. Until the end the scholarship candidates did not know which prize they would receive. The certificates were awarded by Helmut Claas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CLAAS Foundation, and Dr. Hermann Garbers.

In detail, the following prices were awarded:

Scholarships:
1st prize: Kristian Evgeniev Velkovski, student at the University "Angel Kanchev" in Ruse (Bulgaria), was awarded the first prize, a scholarship of 7,200 euros. He studies digital communication at the Faculty of Engineering and Electrical Engineering and his bachelor thesis dealt with the Design and development of the AgRUbot - an inexpensive and autonomous small-scale robot platform for precision agriculture and farming. The jury was impressed by the depth of his analyses and used the award to give the student the opportunity to include an international perspective in his master's programme.

Due to the high quality of the applications, two second places of the Helmut Claas Fellowships were awarded instead of one fourth place.

2nd prize: Florian Fipp was pleased about the second place and a scholarship of 6.000 Euro. He made an apprenticeship as a famer and completed a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering for Agricultural and Horticultural Enterprises at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. In his final thesis, he analysed different Seeding Rates in Row Crops for Forage Production.

2nd prize: Jana Korrmann, a business management student from Osnabrück, living in a small town near Osnabrück, is a member of the Young Farmers Association and worked on the implementation of a service contract for GPS steering systems using CLAAS as an example. She received a scholarship of 6,000 euros.

3rd prize: A scholarship of 4,800 euros went to engineering student Benno Bunte from Osnabrück. The former industrial mechanic apprentice developed a concept to optimize and automate manual assembly line for forage harvesters.

Bonusprizes:
In addition to the scholarships, five bonus prizes worth 1,500 euros each were awarded in various categories. Four out of five prizes were awarded to women, a testament to the fact that today young women are conquering technical or scientific careers.

In the category "Marketing", Miriam Schuster from the University of Kassel Witzenhausen was honoured for her work in setting up producer associations from the point of view of dairy goat and milk sheep farmers. She thus developed a significant approach to the marketing of agricultural products.

Nadine Hückl from the Weihenstephan - Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences was awarded a prize in the "Technical Application" category. Under the title "Increasing the quality of wood chips through screening - Development of a mobile wood chip system", she looked in particular at the quality improvements in smaller heating systems and already aroused the interest of a device manufacturer for here idea.

Kate Tomlinson from Harper Adams University (Great Britain) dealt with the mental health of farmers and received an award in the category "working conditions" for her work. The jury was particularly impressed by the combination of a solid foundation with practical recommendations which can be implemented.

Sophie Thornton from Harper Adams University (Great Britain) received an award in the "Digitisation" category. She analysed the integration of modern data storage systems into the poultry supply chain.

The team Jack Cotter, Eddie Lane and Donal Hand from the Technical Institute in Tralee won the prize in the "Design" category for their unusual but convincing work. They developed a children's electric tractor in their work, which was a combination of technical sophistication and marketing skill. The detail of the work showed a dedication to completing a whole project rather than just a build. 

International Student prices:
The international student prizes worth 4,500 euros each were awarded to students from Banat University of Agricultural Sciences Timisoara (Romania), Budapest University of Technology and Economy (Hungary), Wageningen University (Netherlands), University of Agriculture Nitra (Slovakia), Angel Kanchev University Rousse (Bulgaria), Kuban State Agrarian University Krasnodar (Russia) and Poznań University of Life Sciences (Poland).

A further grant was awarded to Siba Laurent Koropogui from Guinea, a student of the international MBA Agricultural Management at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences.

Helmut Claas awarded the first prize to Kristian Evgeniev Velkovski.

The CLAAS Foundation can help you – up to a maximum amount of 1500 Euro per team. Apply for a seed funding to get your first robot going and email us your application consisting of the following content by 11th May 2020:

The team selection will completed by the end of May 2020.

Looking forward to your application.

CLAAS Foundation FAO: Sylvia Looks Muehlenwinkel 1 33428 Harsewinkel Email: stiftung@claas.com

Due to the COVID 19 Pandemic the Field Robot Event 2020 will not take place this year. New date: 8th - 10th June 2021! Please read more on http://www.fieldrobot.com/event/

“The selection of scholarship holders and award winners takes place on the basis of the topics and the scientific quality of the submitted bachelor Thesis. The curriculum vitae, personal interests and social commitment also play a role for the independent jury”, says Frank Klüsener from the Executive Board of the CLAAS Foundation.

The prizes were awarded personally by Helmut Claas:

Scholarships:

1st Prize: Patrick Lehr, University of Hohenheim. His bachelor thesis investigated the relationship between the cut and other processing techniques for vines, as well as biochemical changes in the plants.

2nd Prize: Levente Széles, Budapest University of Technology and Economics. His bachelor thesis explored methods of cultivating the Chinese water chestnut in Hungary and the development of a harvester prototype.

3rd Prize: Johannes Friedrich, Technical University of Munich. His bachelor thesis researched the possibilities of using radar and laser technology to control mobile feeding units in dairy cattle stables.

4th Prize: Malte von Bloh, also from the Technical University of Munich. His bachelor thesis examined a variety of camera and sensor measurement equipment, among others to determine the nitrogen content in the early development stages of cereal crops.

Further prices:

Besides the one-year scholarships, four bonus prizes worth €1,500 each and several International students prizes worth a total of 31,500 euros were awarded. In addition, two students from the Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf each received a scholarship for the course "international MBA Agricultural management".

Two students from Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences were the first recipients of a scholarship, with which they hope to earn an international MBA in agricultural management.

Carl-Albrecht Bartmer, farmer and former DLG President, held the key note speech at the ceremony, in which he spoke about “The future of agriculture: a societal challenge, not just pipe dreams and pretty pictures.”

Alastair Tulloch (formerly CLAAS UK) is the new member of the British jury for the CLAAS Foundation. He replaces Dr Peter Crossley,

Before the start: everyone gets together for a group photo

A total of eight teams from seven schools in Lower Saxony took part in the competition, each of which consisted of between two and four students from the seventh and eighth classes. In the run-up to the competition, every school received class sets containing 20 metal tractor kits, which were assembled during lessons.

Final ‘tractor tune-up’ before the start

 ‘Our aim is for technology, natural sciences, mathematics and computer science to become firmly established at the schools from an early stage. Some secondary schools in Lower Saxony have already introduced technology as a teaching subject from Class 5. Technology should be fun, and you have the most fun when you’re with others,’ explains Sylvia Looks of the CLAAS Foundation governing board.

In the competition, the students and their electrically driven tractors had to compete in three events. In the slalom course it was speed that counted; on the obstacle course it was a matter of agility, and in the assembly competition of technical dexterity. In this last event, each team had a fixed time to assemble a prescribed set of components with the tools provided, and the quality of their work was evaluated. Finally, the students created a poster with information about their team and their work on the tractor model – which also formed part of the overall assessment.

Stopwatch at the ready: Frank Klüsner times the slalom event

On the obstacle course it’s a question of skill and precision

Students in deep concentration for the assembly competition

A jury of three announced the proud winning teams. First place went Class I of Langen Secondary School.

The winning team: Langen Secondary School I

Second place went to the School at Auetal/Ahlerstedt, represented by the First Ahlerstedt Trekking Club, and the ‘Burning Meteor’ team from Emsland Comprehensive School came in third. As their prize, the winning teams each received admission tickets for a natural science museum, as well as a small contribution to class funds.

The competition took place at CLAAS Weser Ems GmbH in Neerstedt, who in addition to the use of their premises also provided a supporting programme. Besides other activities, this meant that students could ride on real agricultural machines, and so experience life-sized farming technology as well.