Science

Enactus – students shaping tomorrow’s world

Enactus is one of the world’s largest international student organisations. It wants to make the world a better place by promoting sustainability through social and environmental projects.

Africa, Asia, Europe

India, Germany

Funding period: 2020-2026

Enactus is one of the world’s largest international student organisations. It wants to make the world a better place by promoting sustainability through social and environmental projects. Enactus teams support projects that give back to society by contributing their entrepreneurial, social, cultural and technical skills and knowledge from various academic fields and, on a strong economic basis, implement economically viable projects that have a lasting impact.

Enactus stands for entrepreneurial (en) spirit, the will to create (action) and the commonality of action and values (us). The student teams receive support from “business advisors”, who share their technical knowledge and experience, for instance with regard to time management or project management or networking.

David Höltgen (Wilo-Foundation, zweiter von links) bei der Award-Vergabe des Action-with-Africa Wettbewerbs — David Höltgen (Wilo-Foundation, 2nd from left) was a jury member at the Action-With-Africa competition and presented the award for 3rd place in Astana. Photo: Enactus Germany e.V., Cologne

Großer Jubel bei den Siegern von der Tunis Business School — Great cheers for the winners of the 2024 World Cup from Tunisia. Photo: Enactus Germany e.V., Cologne, Credit: Tyler Maddigan

Enactus seeks to inspire students to use the power of entrepreneurial action to shape a better, more sustainable world. Enactus enables students to connect with fellow students at the national and international level and to exchange views and experiences with them on projects, starting a business, and further training and professional development. Students can also build first contacts with the business world at special events organised by the network. The organisation currently has more than 42,000 student members across 1,000 campuses in 34 countries. Overall, various foundations support the organisation in positively impacting the lives of people around the world.

The Wilo-Foundation sponsored various contests in the context of the Enactus World Cup:

Since 2020, the Wilo-Foundation, member of the board of Enactus Germany, has been a supporter of the Enactus National Cup in Germany. In 2021, Enactus Germany also launched the international “Action With Africa” format. During the annual contest, Enactus teams work on project ideas that have been developed on the African continent with civil society and that will help create jobs and make a sustainable contribution to society (click here to watch the trailer). The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is the main sponsor of the event, in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). There are also some non-governmental stakeholders that support the contest, including BASF SE, the Wilo-Foundation and the Wilo Group, the latter being a partner of Enactus for the thematic area of “water” and sponsoring the “Wilo Excellence Award SDG 6”.

Landesflaggen der teilnehmenden Universitäten werden auf der Bühne geschwenkt — Students from over 34 nations come together at the annual World Cups and present their projects. Photo: Enactus Germany e.V., Cologne

The Wilo-Foundation initially provided support for the “1Race4Oceans” competition (2020-21) that focused on dealing responsibly with oceans and water as a resource, and for the Enactus National Cup India (2020-21). The Wilo-Foundation also supported the digital competition #EnactusCares – Impact Contest India during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Photo Header: Enactus Germany e.V., Köln

Our funding partner

The central mission of the association Enactus Germany e.V. is to bring together entrepreneurship and social engagement. Getting involved in Enactus initiatives gives students an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in practical settings and gather some first experiences in tackling problems that are relevant to society and in developing solutions that help to build a better future. In 2023, Enactus Germany e.V. received the Rudolf Diesel Medal in the “Best Innovation Promotion” category (for more information, click here).

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forms the global framework for action for socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. Our funding commitment also supports these sustainability goals. With this project, we are making a contribution to achieving the following SDGs:

What are the SDGs`?