| Klaus Johann Jacobs | |
| Other Names: | Klaus J. Jacobs |
| Birth Date: | 3 December 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Bremen, Germany |
| Death Place: | Küsnacht, Switzerland |
| Citizenship: | Swiss |
| Alma Mater: | University of Hamburg Stanford University |
| Occupation: | Food and beverage company founder, chocolatier |
| Known For: | Jacobs AG |
| Spouse: | Renata Jacobs |
| Children: | 6 (including Andreas Jacobs) |
Klaus Johann Jacobs (3 December 1936 – 11 September 2008) was a German-born billionaire in the coffee and chocolate industry, with Swiss citizenship.[1]
He was born on 3 December 1936 in Bremen, Germany. Jacobs attended the University of Hamburg and later Stanford University.
He started his career in the global coffee and chocolates industries.[2]
The Jacobs Foundation was established by Klaus J. Jacobs in December 1988, in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2001, the founder surrendered his entire share of the Jacobs Holding AG to the Jacobs Foundation, with an effective value of CHF 1.5 billion ($ 900 million). The Jacobs Foundation's goal is to contribute to Productive Youth Development by bringing together basic research, application and intervention projects and through dialogue and network building.[9] The Jacobs Foundation supports research and projects worldwide. Klaus J. Jacobs donated EUR 200 million to the Jacobs University Bremen in 2006.
He died on 11 September 2008 in Küsnacht, Switzerland.[10] [11]
The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Award honours outstanding achievement in child and youth development and the Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Award for positive development of children and youth are awarded annually in memory of Jacobs. The first award ceremony took place on 3 December 2009. The awards are given by the Jacobs Foundation of Zurich.
The prizes are given to honour outstanding achievements in research and practice that make a significant contribution to young people's success in life and development.
The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Award recognises academic research of significant social relevance for child and youth development. Additionally, research findings from the interdisciplinary projects thus honoured should be suited to active practical implementation. The prize money for the award comes to one million Swiss Francs, which can be used for an academic project chosen by the recipient.
The award winner is chosen by a jury of internationally respected researchers: Albert Bandura (Stanford University, USA), Monique Boekaerts (Leiden University, the Netherlands), Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (Columbia University, USA), Anne C. Petersen Michigan University, USA), Meinrad Paul Perrez (Université de Fribourg, Switzerland), Rainer K. Silbereisen (Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena, Germany) and William Julius Wilson (Harvard University, USA).
The Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Award is given for exceptional engagement by an institution or individual whose practical work makes real use of innovative ideas for the positive development of children and youth. The prize money amounts to 200,000 Swiss Francs which can be used for a project chosen by the recipient.
The award winner of the Best Practice Award is chosen by the board of the Jacobs Foundation.
| Year | Research Award Winner | Best Practice Award! | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Laurence Steinberg (Temple University) | Father Johann Casutt (ATMI, Surakarta, Indonesia) | |
| 2010 | Terrie Moffitt (Duke University) Avshalom Caspi (King's College London) | Opstapje, Germany a:primo, Switzerland | |
| 2011 | Michael Tomasello (Duke University) | Christiane Daepp (Ideenbüro, Switzerland) | |
| 2012 | Dante Cicchetti (University of Minnesota) | Off Road Kids Foundation, Germany | |
| 2013 | Greg J. Duncan (University of California, Irvine) | ELTERN-AG, Germany | |
| 2014 | Michael Meaney (McGill University, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research) | The Serenity Harm Reduction Programme, Zambia | |
| 2015 | Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (University College London) | Gesamtschule Unterstrass, Zurich | |
| 2016 | Orazio Attanasio (University College London) | International Child Support-Skilfull Parenting, Kenya |