Social Responsibility
As a traditional Hanseatic company, we also contribute to social capital and engage in various areas, such as awarding Germany’s oldest social award, the HanseMerkur Prize for Child Protection, which supports families, children, and adolescents in challenging life situations.
Our flagship project is the HanseMerkur Prize for Child Protection, which is valued at a total of 50,000 Euros and has been awarded annually since 1980 to individuals, groups, and NGOs who voluntarily and exemplarily care for the welfare of children and young people in areas such as psychosocial, medical, or social support and prevention. We provide financial assistance that facilitates long-term purchases or expands the range of help offered by the initiative. Additionally, we support public relations efforts, as the awarding of the HanseMerkur Prize for Child Protection receives considerable media attention, thereby raising public awareness of the issues faced by the respective initiative.
The award, now the oldest social award in Germany, shapes our identity as a personal insurer. Our commitment to the rights and concerns of children and families is embedded in our corporate and brand strategy, “Hand in Hand is … HanseMerkur,” which highlights the strength of community. Our initiatives in child and youth protection aim to improve the circumstances of sick, disabled, or socially disadvantaged young people. The HanseMerkur Prize for Child Protection, under the slogan “Care for children is a provision for the future,” has gained a nationwide reputation, largely due to the expertise of our ten-member jury comprised of esteemed child protection officers, who review numerous voluntary applications each year. Among the jury members are Heinz Hilgers, President of the German Child Protection Association; Ulrike Köhler, Board member of Allianz Chronic Rare Diseases; Georg Graf Waldersee, Chairman of UNICEF Germany; and Prof. Dr. Sabine Walper, President of the German League for the Child.
The prize regularly fosters sustainable and long-term connections. In 2013, we began an inclusive collaboration with the BUNDESJUGENDBALLETT and the integrative, barrier-free groups of TV Schiefbahn 1899, where young athletes with and without disabilities work alongside the professional dancers of the Ballet. This partnership showcased its talents during the supporting programme for the 34th HanseMerkur Awards for Child Protection in Hamburg.
We are also a reliable partner in child and youth protection for numerous other projects, including our longstanding cooperation with the German Child Protection Association, the Hamburg Authority for Schools and Vocational Training, and the child cancer foundation phönikks. Each year, our trainees raise funds through a variety of activities to support social institutions, gaining firsthand experience as they engage with these facilities—working “hand in hand.”
Promotion of Culture
Through Gospel Train, we have been supporting the integrative work of one of Germany’s finest youth choirs by providing performance opportunities and facilitating four CD productions to date. The choir enhances the concentration and personal development of students living in resource-poor districts of Hamburg through musical education. Under the direction of Peter Schuldt, the international choir participates in benefit concerts for children and young people.
In our commitment to Hamburg as a location, we chose to support the new landmark of the city, the Elbphilharmonie, as a classical sponsor. This initiative is closely linked to our commitment to child protection and contributes to the establishment of a learning and experience centre for daycare centres and schools to engage with music. Activities include visits to public rehearsals and concerts, as well as age-appropriate workshops in the Elphi world of instruments.
Science Funding – Between Tradition and Future
HanseMerkur sees itself not only as a service provider but also as a healthcare provider. Our goal is to offer customers a range of e-health services and quality-checked access to increasingly popular forms of complementary medicine, particularly Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We integrate individualized TCM into Western treatment concepts and rigorously examine the effects and efficacy of TCM therapies through clinical and basic research, contributing to the establishment of quality standards for Chinese Medicine in Germany. As the majority shareholder of the HanseMerkur Centre for TCM at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, we played a crucial role in creating the first nationwide scientific facility that combines research, teaching, and therapy under one roof. Since then, German and Chinese doctors and scientists have been exploring the effects and efficacy of TCM in laboratory, clinical, and healthcare research. The China Centre, the UKE Academy for Education and Career, and Shanghai TCM University now offer postgraduate courses, with currently ten doctors pursuing a Master’s in TCM. All TCM therapy methods are utilised at the treatment centre, including Chinese Medicine Therapy, Dietetics, Acupuncture, Manual Tuina Therapy, and Qigong breathing and movement exercises. The centre’s commitment to quality assurance has been instrumental in making safe medicines available in German pharmacies in convenient forms of administration, known as compatibility, and certified quality.
In research, we completed Acupuncture studies on Diabetic and Chemotherapy-Induced Polyneuropathy (PNP) in 2018, and a follow-up study on Diabetic PNP is currently underway in collaboration with the Charité Berlin. Additionally, in 2020, another study in cooperation with UKE Oncology examines whether Acupuncture and Vibration Training can have a prophylactic effect during chemotherapy. A new study on Acupuncture for tennis elbow is also beginning. Each year, we engage around 1,000 scientists in our research efforts. The teaching area involves approximately 500 individuals from both China and the German university landscape. The treatment centre of the China Centre serves 3,000 patients annually.