The BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt seeks to foster national and international dialogue between business, politics and society, and to promote a mutual understanding of these areas. This thinking underscores the Foundation's sponsoring of this Summit.

The CESifo Group Munich links the Department of Economics of the University of Munich and the Ifo Institute with the international economic research community. It also supports the international CESifo Research Network, an independent academic research community now numbering over 500 internationally-renowned economists from around the world.

Siemens is a network of innovation in electrical engineering and electronics encompassing nearly half a million people in 190 countries.

Infineon is a leading innovator in the international semiconductor industry. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductors and complete system solutions targeted at selected industries.

As the Bank of the Regions in Europe, the HVB Group has a distinct profile in the financial services market, occupying a leading position in Germany, Austria and Eastern European countries.

Founded in 1865 and headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF –The Chemical Company– is a reliable partner to virtually all industries on five continents. With 82,000 employees working in five business segments, it is the world's leading  chemical company.

Deutsche Telekom is Europe's largest communications company and one of the largest communications carriers worldwide based on 2004 revenues of 57.9 billion Euro. The company is active in the strategic areas Broadband/Fixed-network, Mobile Communications and Business Customers.

A leading international real estate financing company with European roots, the Hypo Real Estate Group combines commercial real estate financing with modern investment banking.

Swiss Re – the global reinsurer does business from over 70 offices in more than 30 countries with over 9 000 employees, providing risk transfer, risk financing and asset management to its global client base. Today, Swiss Re Group is one of the world's leading and financially strongest reinsurers.

Headquartered in Munich, E.ON Energy E.ON Energie is Europe's largest privately owned provider of energy services, with 14 million electricity and gas customers Europe-wide. Its decentralized structure is designed to cater for regional differences on the European energy market.

The ECB is the central bank for Europe's single currency, the euro. The ECB’s main task is to maintain the euro's purchasing power and thus price stability in the euro area. The euro area comprises the 12 European Union countries that have introduced the euro since 1999.

The European Union's long-term financing institution. An autonomous body set up o finance capital investment furthering European integration by promoting EU policies.

Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. (established 1919 in Houston, Texas) is a leading international U.S. law firm. With 900 attorneys in 11 offices - 8 in the U.S., as well as Hongkong, London and Munich - it serves the entire spectrum of clients' legal needs around the world.