One of the biggest tasks and goals of the VDE is to attract youth to the fascinating world of technology and the sciences with the help of initiatives and competitions, supported by the commitment of its members and partners from politics, universities and companies. Every year, over 10,000 youth are informed about the opportunities offered by the engineering profession. In 2007, the VDE and VDE Institute were selected as one of the 365 locations for the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative. At the event in July, the Institute opened its doors in Offenbach and gave interested students a unique chance to sample the role of a testing engineer and work in a lab. In September, the VDE Youth Press Congress at the Humboldt University in Berlin gave 130 students two days to assume the role of journalists – and work intensively with microelectronics and their applications. And once again, the “Invent a Chip” competition was a great success, with around 1,500 students submitting ideas for developing their own microchip. The best ideas were subsequently awarded prizes at the Microsystems Technology Congress in Dresden. These and many other activities during the year underscored our commitment to attracting young people to our professions.