Wintershall Dea fosters the spirit of discovery and inquiring minds

14th STEM Student Congress of the North Hesse Student Research Centre (SFN) in Kassel from 3 to 5 July
Lectures, workshops and experiments for students of all ages are planned
Award ceremony for the FutureSpace STEM competition for children and young people who have had to flee their countries

Wintershall Dea, as one of the main sponsors of the North Hesse Student Research Centre (SFN), is once again supporting the 14th STEM Student Congress this year. From 3 to 5 July, school students of all ages will be able to experience research projects in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at first hand and conduct their own experiments together.

In her opening speech at the STEM Student Congress, Fatima Dolić-Fromm, Wintershall Dea’s Spokesperson for Technology, Digitalisation and Innovation, said: “We at Wintershall Dea are delighted to be here once again this year at the Student Congress, because this is where the foundations are laid for tomorrow’s technologies. The level at which the young and clever minds here are conducting research, are conducting research, discovering the Earth’s secrets and asking questions, impresses every year anew. We wish the dedicated researchers much enjoyment and success and the SFN all the best for the future.”

Wintershall Dea will once again be actively involved this year in the varied programme of the 14th STEM Student Congress with two lectures on “A journey into the world of oil and gas” and “How carbon storage works”, turning the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics into a hands-on experience.

Another item on the programme for the opening event was the award ceremony for the “MI(N)T-EINANDER” (“STEM TOGETHER”) competition. It was launched in January 2024 at FutureSpace for children and young people aged 13 and over with and without a refugee or migrant background. Since 2023, Wintershall Dea, in cooperation with FutureSpace and SFN, has been supporting integration projects for children and young people who have had to flee their countries. They were invited to come up with STEM projects and implement their ideas with the support of the FutureSpace supervisors. A FutureSpace and Wintershall Dea jury assessed these and awarded the winning projects the prizes they deserved: first place went to the “Inconspicuous Bottle” project, which won a flight above the clouds. Second place went to the “Ruler Trick” project. The winner and her friends were invited to an exclusive VIP visit to the cinema. Third place went to the “Magnetic-Mechanical Oscillator” project. The winner can test her knowledge of gravity in a climbing course. Fourth place went to the “Non-Contact Resistance” project. The winner can now explore the surface tension of water and look forward to a stand-up paddling taster course, complete with an ice cream voucher.

“The Student Congress shows that young people can learn from each other and are also prepared to take on responsibility. Collaboration with FutureSpace is a major issue for the Student Research Centre: both institutions were founded by Klaus-Peter Haupt and could not exist without his vision. It’s all the more pleasing that FutureSpace and SFN repeatedly contribute their respective strengths to a successful co-operation,” says Philipp Imhof, Head of SFN.

The STEM Student Congress attracts young talents from across Germany and other countries as well. In collaboration with other student research centres, the SFN is also once again offering events in German and English this year. Young researchers and experts from various research institutes will provide insights into topics ranging from 3D printing and sensor technology to artificial intelligence and climate change. “The SFN goes beyond purely education: through the exchange of ideas and colla-boration in a host of different projects, it promotes internationality and diversity,” says Dolić-Fromm.

_{About Wintershall Dea}

_{Wintershall Dea is a leading independent European gas and oil company with more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 11 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in midstream business. And we develop carbon management and low carbon hydrogen projects to contribute to climate goals and secure energy supplies. More in our}_{Annual Report}_.

_{As a European gas and oil company, we support the EU’s 2050 carbon neutrality target. As our contribution we have set ourselves ambitious targets: We want to be net zero across our entire upstream operations – both operated and non-operated – by 2030. This includes Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions on an equity share basis. Wintershall Dea will also bring its methane emissions intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025. We endorsed the World Bank’s Initiative ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ and continue to support the initiative aimed at eliminating routine flaring in operated assets by 2030. In addition, we plan to support global decarbonisation efforts by building up a carbon management and hydrogen business to potentially abate 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2040. You can find more about this in our}_{Sustainability Report}_.

_{Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people worldwide from almost 60 nations.}

_{The shareholders of Wintershall Dea (BASF and LetterOne) and Harbour Energy plc (Harbour) signed a business combination agreement in December 2023 to transfer Wintershall Dea’s E&P business consisting of its producing and development assets as well as exploration rights in Norway, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Algeria, Libya (excluding Wintershall AG), Egypt and Denmark (excluding Ravn) as well as Wintershall Dea’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) licenses to Harbour. Until closing, Wintershall Dea and Harbour will continue to operate as independent companies. The transaction is, among other things, subject to approvals of merger control and foreign investment authorities in several countries. Subject to these regulatory approvals, closing is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2024. See the full BASF release}_here_.