Education

Worldwide robotics competition for young people in Dortmund

As part of its activities to empower young talents and promote STEM subjects, the Wilo-Foundation supported the International WRO Final 2022 in Dortmund, when the international robot competition for children and young people took place in Germany for the first time. In 2025, the Wilo-Foundation will be supporting the WRO Final in Germany.

Drei Jugendliche begutachten interessiert einen Roboter Prototyp

Europe

Germany

Dortmund

Funding period: 2022, 2025

In 2022, the World Final of the "World Robot Olympiad" (WRO), an international robotics competition for children and young people, came to Germany for the first time. In November 2022, the city of Dortmund hosted an international festival with more than 3,000 international guests, children and young people from around 80 countries.

The participants (children and young people aged 6 to 19) worked together in teams. Assisted by a team coach, they assembled a robot that met the requirements of the competition category, and then programmed this robot. Finally, the teams and their robots had to complete various tasks assigned to them by the WRO organisers.

Jugendliche und Kinder begutachten gespannt einen Roboter, der sich auf einem Testfeld mit Hindernissen beweisen muss — Children and young people compete in different competition categories. Photo: Technik begeistert e.V., Menden

Auf einer Bühne stehen mehrere klatschende Menschen zur Eröffnungsfeier der World Robotic Olympiade — Opening ceremony of the World Robotic Olympiad in Dortmund's Westfalenhallen. Photo: Technik begeistert e.V., Menden

At the International WRO Final, which takes place in a different country every year, the top-performing 500 teams from more than 80 countries compete against each other in different disciplines with the robots they have assembled themselves. The event also features a side programme on interesting STEM subjects.

The association TECHNIK BEGEISTERT e.V. (“Technology inspires”), Menden, is a national partner of the global WRO Association, implementing all of the WRO’s competitions in Germany and continuing the WRO success story here. TECHNIK BEGEISTERT was established in 2012 and has made the WRO one of the biggest robotics competitions in Germany for children from the age of six as well as youth. Alongside the city of Dortmund and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, many companies and foundations supported the 2022 WRO World Final in Dortmund. As part of its activities to empower young talents and promote STEM subjects, the Wilo-Foundation was one of the key sponsors in the region.

Photo Header: Technik begeistert e.V., Menden

Our funding partner

The non-profit association TECHNIK BEGEISTERT e.V., Menden, was founded in November 2011 by young adults, driven by the motivation to share their passion for robots with children and young people. The association has been coordinating the World Robot Olympiad since 2012, in close collaboration with the city of Dortmund and the different stakeholders involved in the event.

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`?