As part of the celebrations for its 100^th birthday, Anton Paar will donate five measuring instruments in 2022. The instruments will be given to five educational institutions in Colombia, in order to support the educational sector and also to strengthen the cooperation between Anton Paar and the scientific community. An MCR 72/92, a DMA 1001, a Multiwave Go, an SVM 3001 and a ViscoQC 300 will be handed over to Colombian universities and other educational institutions in the next few months. The costs of the instruments will be covered by the Anton Paar GmbH.

The timing of the donation is linked to the company’s success throughout the anniversary year. As soon as Anton Paar has sold the 100^th instrument of a certain product group – starting in January 2022 – the respective instrument will be donated. The actual handovers of the instruments are planned for the next ten months, with the universities or institutions being selected in consultation with the colleagues of AP Colombia. “We are really grateful to be able to promote the Colombian educational system. I myself went to a public university and I know what a support like this means for students,” describes Ivan Lentijo, General Manager of AP Colombia.

Tough times for economy and education
Colombia has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also by the petrocrisis due to the fall in prices for crude oil, its main export. In no other South American country, poverty increased more during the Corona pandemic. 42 percent of the population live below the poverty line. 60 percent work in the informal sector and are completely impoverished for lack of earnings during the lockdown. The gross domestic product per capita in 2020 was $5,322, compared to about $48,000 in Austria and about $63,500 in the United States. In addition, the country with a population of 50 million is one of the most unequally distributed countries in the world – so the gap between rich and poor is particularly wide.

The economic situation is also reflected in education; the budget deficit of public universities was $5.7 billion for operational and infrastructure expenses in 2018. Strikes by students and public employees have been mounting for years due to a lack of money from the public purse and the fact that universities have to raise their own funds, which means that tuition fees are quite high. This makes education more difficult for the poorer population, because the universities have to invest the available money in infrastructure and equipment, and consequently the students do not benefit through lower fees.

A small contribution with a big impact
“We are pleased to be able to contribute. But we are not only doing this because Colombia, like many other countries, is currently in crisis. For us, Colombia is an important player on the international market and strategically crucial for further expanding our position in Central and South America. That’s why we want to strengthen the research and development sector especially in Colombia,” explains Friedrich Santner, CEO of Anton Paar GmbH.

In addition to the campaign for Colombia, the company will also support other social projects. Subsidiaries and sister companies are welcome to participate if they would like. “Many colleagues around the world have asked whether they are allowed or expected to bring host gifts to the celebrations. We would like them to join us in supporting charity projects instead.” The management will announce which projects will be supported in the anniversary year in the following weeks.