The Vector Stiftung, based at Ingersheimer Straße 24 in Stuttgart, Germany, was founded in 2011 by Vector Informatik GmbH's co-founders Eberhard Hinderer, Martin Litschel, and Dr. Helmut Schelling. As a corporate-linked foundation, it holds 60% of the shares in Vector Informatik, a software firm for automotive electronics, funding its work through dividends.
Since inception, it has committed over 100 million euros to nonprofit projects in Baden-Württemberg, focusing on research, education, and social initiatives. Annually, it supports around 150 projects with about 12 million euros, directing over 75% to MINT fields—mathematics, informatics, natural sciences, and technology. In 2025, its funding volume stands at 11 million euros.
Recent research grants under the MINT-Innovationen program include Universität Stuttgart's work on molecular multi-qubit systems, levitated quantum compasses at DLR, and sodium-ion battery electrodes. Other efforts target origami-inspired microrobotics, AI for autonomous driving at Universität Tübingen, and CO2 extraction from air at KIT.
Education projects enhance teacher training and youth opportunities in technical fields, while social programs combat youth unemployment and homelessness in Stuttgart. A small team of about eight processes roughly 180 initiatives yearly, guided by a council of the three founders. Memberships include the Stifterverband and Nationales MINT Forum.