Rambøll Fonden / Ramboll Foundation

We Support | Social well-being in 15-minute cities 🗺 This initiative is driven by C40 Cities and Ramboll who in partnership assist pilot cities in the C40 Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods Programme to maximise the social wellbeing potential of 15-minute city interventions at neighbourhood and city levels. Drawing on Ramboll's social, urban, and infrastructure sustainability expertise, the joint efforts include crafting city strategies and plans, developing social parameters, and employing social impact methodologies. These activities help cities understand who benefits from 15-minute city interventions and identify urban vulnerabilities. "As cities accelerate their sustainable transition, it’s clear that these changes can positively impact the lives, health and well-being of individuals and communities, particularly the most vulnerable. Our conversations with cities highlight a pressing need for practical tools and skills to integrate social well-being into this transition, ensuring citizen engagement and stakeholder collaboration throughout the process," explains Christine Lunde Rasmussen, Senior Market Manager at Ramboll. Specifically, C40 and Ramboll are co-creating a toolkit to help cities define social well-being and translate their visions into actionable strategies. This toolkit will help more cities around the world create green and thriving neighbourhoods. Two of the Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods pilot projects - Warsaw and Copenhagen – are providing crucial input for the toolkit: 🌿 Warsaw, Poland: The City is transforming the Vistula River valley from a barrier to an asset. With enhancements to pedestrian and bike access and improved public spaces, the City is linking communities on both sides of the river to each other and reintroducing them to the river. The newly completed pedestrian bridge is just the start! The City now aims to create a network of resilient and people-centred public spaces. 🚲 Copenhagen, Denmark: In Jernbanebyen, the City and Urban Partners are converting old railyards into a 15-minute, zero-carbon neighbourhood. This project prioritizes inclusivity and sustainability with net-zero buildings, a wide housing range, and car-free streets. An existing building has already become a new community hub for local associations and global conversations on sustainable urban planning and design. “Our toolkit is designed to put people at the heart of urban planning and design, ensuring that environmental and social benefits go hand in hand when creating and implementing green, thriving neighbourhoods. It’s not just about building sustainable cities—it’s about creating inclusive communities where everyone can thrive,” says Helene Chartier, Director of Urban Planning and Design at C40 Cities. The project is funded with DKK 951,101.

Supporting Læger uden Grænser (MSF)' crisis response in Sudan For the past year, large parts of Sudan have been experiencing ongoing violence, including intense urban warfare, gunfire, shelling, and airstrikes. More than 10 million people have been displaced by the current conflict, including over 2 million people who have fled to neighbouring countries. The health system, already fragile before the conflict started, is struggling to cope with existing and emerging medical needs, such as emergency care and surgery, treatment, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks, causing a regular health crisis in Sudan. “The situation in Sudan is one of the largest humanitarian crises we have experienced in recent times. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes, and the population lives under the threat of attacks, violence, and a catastrophic lack of humanitarian assistance and support. Therefore, we are incredibly grateful that the Ramboll Foundation wishes to help during this overlooked crisis with a generous contribution to Doctors without Borders’ work in Sudan,” says Malin Palmer, Director of Doctors without Borders (MSF), Denmark. We are donating DKK 500,000 to Doctors without Borders’ medical and humanitarian work in the affected areas. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dnP3zwXN #humanitarianaid #partnership

Sustainable capitalism – balancing profitability with purpose ⚖ Wednesday, we co-hosted a roundtable event at New York Climate Week with Ramboll and University of California, Berkeley gathering leaders from global businesses founded in the Nordics and the U.S. to discuss how to best balance profitability with purpose and drive positive social, environmental, and economic growth. At the roundtable, we got to discuss the shift from prioritising shareholder value to embracing stakeholder value, drawing on insights from both Nordic and U.S. businesses. We explored how this shift can best be driven through different business models and organisational structures, making stakeholder value a competitive advantage for attracting customers, talent, and driving successful business growth. We also examined the cultural factors in the Nordics and U.S. that promote sustainable capitalism, and how these are impacting and incentivising business structures, profit models, and value and performance measures. 👉 Read more about the roundtable event here: https://lnkd.in/dbD2HRB7 Søren Staugaard Nielsen, Robert Strand, Cheryl Ginyard-Jones, Lynsey Clarke, Michael Thorndahl Simmelsgaard, Greg Curtis, Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, John Kornerup Bang, Mads Twomey-Madsen, Maya Færch, Andrea Bonime-Blanc, JD/PhD, William Sisson, Carolyn Kissane, Jon Johnsen, Optimist Gaffney #foundationownership #purposedrivenbusiness #sustainablecapitalism

This week we announced the new members of our Foundation Advisory Forum, and we are very excited to welcome an additional 17 Ramboll colleagues joining the existing 18 members on the Forum 📢 The Foundation Advisory Forum meets twice a year to discuss Ramboll’s ownership model and values, and how to best leverage our legacy and culture among employees in Ramboll. The Forum is also a very important sounding board to the Board of Trustees in strategic and value-based discussions. The Forum will meet up next in November for our annual seminar in Ramboll’s head office. Please help us with congratulating the 17 new Foundation Advisory Forum members! Hege Michelsen Steen, Eero Bekkedal, Viktoria Björnberg Půhoný, Petri Lehto, Eetu Silvennoinen, Tine Schjelde Møberg, Julie Grøn, Mariusz Hermansdorfer, Julian Haffner, Maren Plöger, Sarah Ord, Jenny Hess, Mara Meggiorin, PhD, Lorena Tremps, Keleigh Hagensen, Kuber Lubana, Neil Young #ownershipwithapurpose #purposedrivenbusiness #employeeengagement NB: The image below is from our annual seminar last year.

Did you know that the Founders of Ramboll designed the famous Balloon Ferris Wheel in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen? 🎡 The Balloon Ferris Wheel was one of Børge Rambøll and Johan Hannemann’s first steel constructions. “Børge and I were on board one of the baskets during the test ride for the newly assembled structure. The wheel was going round at full speed when I suddenly realised with dread that the speed was practically twice of what it was supposed to be. The basket swayed dangerously but fortunately the brakes were designed to have maximum efficiency and we all returned safely to the ground after the wheel finally stopped”. The quote is Johan Hannemann’s, taken from an article in an internal company magazine, where he explained a test ride in one of their first steel structures – the Balloon Ferris Wheel in the historic amusement park Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a challenging construction. The Balloon Ferris Wheel had to be rotatable but spacious and comfortable at same time; it had to withstand transverse forces from the wind without wobbling and remain steady when braking. Furthermore, a unilateral movable load had to be taken into consideration. And at the same time, they had to design a slender frame for the wheel so that the construction would not seem ungainly. Fortunately, it did not take long to identify the issues that caused the rocky test ride, and the Balloon Ferris Wheel is still spinning today – at a proper speed. You can read more interesting historical facts on our website: rambollfonden.com/history #storytime #foundationownership #ownershipwithapurpose

We support | Mobile clinics in Ukraine With the conflict in Ukraine still ongoing, the healthcare system has been destroyed and even small untreated injuries and infections can cause severe problems. In December 2023, we donated USD 42,500 to Køge Nord Rotary Klub in support of a project delivering mobile emergency clinics to Ukraine in an effort to provide immediate and essential medical care to the Ukrainian population. The donation will cover the setting up of one mobile emergency clinic. 🔹 It is constructed with reinforcements so that it can be used in conflict areas. 🔹 A 2-sided metal and thermal insulation makes it possible to use both during summer and winter. 🔹 With it's own generator and water cleaning system, it can operate 24/7. 🔹 The mobile clinic is donated to the Ministry of Health, which operates clinics in areas where medical care isn't available at the moment. Even when the conflict ends, there will be a big need for these clinics, as it will take a long time to rebuild hospitals and the healthcare system in the region. "The project aims to provide immediate medical care and support to vulnerable populations, and it represents a meaningful endeavor to address pressing societal challenges and contribute to the betterment of affected communities in Ukraine," explains Søren Staugaard Nielsen, Managing Director of the Ramboll Foundation. #sustainabledevelopment #purposedrivenbusiness #humanitarianaid #ownershipwithapurpose

Empowering Flood-Affected Communities: Solar and Bore Water Pumps in Pakistan 💧   In the aftermath of the 2022 Pakistan floods, more than 780,000 homes were destroyed. To bolster vulnerable communities, this project, run by Charity For Life, aims to install water facilities, harnessing solar technology to fuel ten state-of-the-art water projects and 30 communal hand pumps. These solar-powered water systems and hand pumps will serve as communal facilities, ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water.   Additionally, the project aims to facilitate access to water for hygiene purposes, as well as for small livestock, such as goats, and for kitchen gardening activities aimed at growing vegetables to meet nutritional requirements.   "Through a holistic approach encompassing various aspects of water usage and agricultural practices, we seek to address the multifaceted needs of marginalized rural populations, ultimately leading to sustainable development and improved livelihoods", says Saqib Tasneem of Charity For Life.   The project aims to improve the accessibility of marginalized communities to essential social services by providing access to clean water, directly benefiting 270 households, comprising over 1,890 individuals, including women and children.   "This project addresses a fundamental human need while aligning closely with the purposes of the Ramboll Foundation, and we look forward to following the development of the many great initiatives locally," says Søren Staugaard Nielsen, Managing Director of the Ramboll Foundation.   The project is supported with DKK 350,000. #sustainabledevelopment #humanitarianaid #ownershipwithapurpose

We support | Career mentoring and STEM outreach activities 🔬   With the purpose of encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to consider careers in our industry by contributing to #STEM and #sustainability outreach activities and career mentoring, one of the 12 initiatives of the Flourish programme, Ramboll and the Ramboll Foundation's joint social impact programme, supports IntoUniversity in the UK and their learning centres across some of the most socio-economically disadvantaged areas in London.   Through #Flourish, volunteers from Ramboll support students through fast-paced business simulations, engaging career workshops, and insights into a professional environment, helping students to develop their aspirations and key soft skills such as confidence, teamwork, and communication.   The Ramboll and IntoUniversity collaboration centres around three main activities: Business in FOCUS workshops, the Careers in FOCUS programme, and a corporate mentoring programme. Through the main activities, Ramboll volunteers provide STEM and sustainability related advice and expertise.    "The Flourish programme is adding significant value to IntoUniversity's programmes. By volunteering with IntoUniversity, Ramboll staff have directly transformed the lives of hundreds of the young people we support," says Sharif Chowdhury, Corporate Partnerships Manager, IntoUniversity. #sustainabledevelopment #ownershipwithapurpose

We Support | The Danish Youth Association of Science (UNF) The UNF, a Danish science NGO, has during the school summer break hosted a number of week-long science camps offering older primary school student and younger high school students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of natural sciences. The students get to meet other curious like-minded youth through unique learning experiences. The science camps are not only educationally enriching, but also helps students prepare for their future studies and engage socially with each other. “The Ramboll Foundation is happy to be able to support educational activities such as these science camps, which inspire and motivate young students in the STEM topics through creative and collaborative learning environments,” says Søren Staugaard Nielsen, Managing Director of the Ramboll Foundation. At the science camps, the students explore the worlds of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer game design as well as artificial intelligence. A new series of health science camps offers students the opportunity to learn about anatomy, physiology, and histology. “Thanks to the donation from the Ramboll Foundation, interested kids from all financial backgrounds and from across Denmark are able to participate in our camps,” says Michael Thorup Nielsen, UNF. The initiative is funded by the Ramboll Foundation with DKK 80,000. #ownershipwithapurpose #purposedrivenbusiness #sustainabledevelopment

Now is your chance to apply now for funding to your project or initiative within research, education, or humanitarian aid 💻 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eiiARjFc Please also make sure to read our donation policy before applying: https://lnkd.in/dKRjNqy8 The application deadline is 15 August 2024 📅