Continental Global Engineering Excellence Initiative: Study on the Future of Engineering Takes Shape

Continental Global Engineering Excellence Initiative: Study on the Future of Engineering Takes Shape

May 17, 2006

- Eight Top International Universities Compile Initial Findings of Their Research on Engineering Science - Internationalization of Universities a Key to Success

    BOSTON and HANOVER, Germany, May 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- Universities with highly demanding engineering programs
must intensify their internationalization activities
significantly if they want to keep pace with the ever
increasing dynamics of economic globalization and the
growing complexity of challenging worldwide value-added
chains. This is the interim findings of the first
comprehensive study on the future of engineering education,
currently being compiled by eight renowned top international
universities in the scope of the Global Engineering
Excellence (GEE) initiative, instigated by Continental AG.

    In November of last year, the international automotive
supplier started the Global Engineering Excellence
initiative in close cooperation with the top universities
to study the perspectives and social position of engineers
as well as their education and impact on the performance
capabilities of economies, and to draw conclusions from
these findings. At the most recent meeting of the study
participants at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in Boston, the initial findings of the study were
discussed. Concrete recommendations are then to be
formulated during a second project meeting at the Tsinghua
University in Beijing at the end of June. The full findings
will be presented during a two-day event with
representatives from all participating universities as well
as high-ranking representatives from the world of politics
and business on November 9 and 10 in Frankfurt.

    The results compiled to date indicate that there is a
tight intermeshing between the increasing economic
globalization and the resulting changes in requirements for
an engineering education.

    The professors involved in the project uniformly
concluded that, as a consequence, a tight intermeshing of
the research and development departments is also essential
in a global society in which value added chains and
distribution channels are permanently expanding and
changing.

    "The trends in a globally networked economy must
be reflected in the education concepts at
universities," said Prof. Bernd Widdig from MIT in
Massachusetts, calling for "close coordination and
intensive cooperation between the engineering and science
branches -- at a world-wide level." Prof. Reiner
Anderl of the Technical University of Darmstadt, which is
heading the study, summed it up by saying that "the
goal can only be a globally-oriented engineering
program."

    The research team feels that it is up to the
universities themselves, the companies and, last but not
least, those bodies in charge of educational policies to
attain this goal. A call for action and recommendations are
to be presented on November 10 at an international press
conference in Frankfurt.

    The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of
brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics,
tires and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation
posted consolidated sales of EUR13.8 billion. It currently
has a worldwide workforce of around 80,600 employees.

    Information about the initiative you find on the
internet under:
http://www.global-engineering-excellence.org and the
Corporate Image and Video Library of Continental under:
http://www.conti-online.com

    For more information, please contact:

     Hannes Boekhoff, Head of Press Relations, 
     Continental AG
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Bettina Korner, Press Officer, 
     Continental AG
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Continental AG