Klaus Tschira

{{Infobox person

| name = Klaus Tschira

| image = Donor of the Planetarium and Visitor centre presents (17057134606) (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = at the Planetarium and Visitor centre

| birth_date = {{birth date|1940|12|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|3|31|1940|12|7|df=y}}

| death_place = Heidelberg, Germany

| education = University of Karlsruhe

| occupation = Businessman

| known_for = Co-founder of SAP AG

| boards =

| spouse = Married

| children = Udo Tschira
Harald Tschira{{cite web|title=Klaus Tschira|website=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/klaus-tschira/|accessdate=14 February 2020}}

| website =

}}

Klaus Tschira (7 December 1940 – 31 March 2015) was a German billionaire entrepreneur and the co-founder of the German software company SAP AG.

Life

After gaining his Diplom in physics and working at IBM, Tschira co-founded the German software giant SAP AG in 1972 in Mannheim, Germany together with Hans-Werner Hector, Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner and Claus Wellenreuther. From 1998 to 2007, he was a board member at SAP. He was married to Gerda Tschira and had two sons, Harald and Udo.

He died on 31 March 2015 in Heidelberg.[http://www.rnf.de/heidelebrg-klaus-tschira-tot-71393/ Heidelberg: Klaus Tschira tot], rnf.de, access date 31 March 2015 {{Archive url|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331130822/http://www.rnf.de/heidelebrg-klaus-tschira-tot-71393/|date=2015-03-31}}

Klaus Tschira Foundation

The Klaus Tschira Foundation (KTF) was established by Tschira in 1995 as a non-profit organization. Its primary objective is to support projects in natural and computer sciences as well as mathematics.[http://www.lifescience.net/network/germany/heidelberg/klaus-tschira-foundation/about "Klaus Tschira Foundation"], Life Science Network. Accessed 31 May 2016. The KTF places strong emphasis on public understanding in these fields. Tschira's commitment to this objective was honored in 1999 with the "Deutscher Stifterpreis" by the German National Academic Foundation (German: Studienstiftung). The KTF is located at the Villa Bosch in Heidelberg, Germany, the former residence of Nobel Prize laureate for chemistry Carl Bosch (1874–1940).

Gerda and Klaus Tschira Foundation

In 2008, Tschira and his wife Gerda founded the Gerda and Klaus Tschira Foundation.

Honors

1995: Honorary doctorate of the University of Klagenfurt
1997: Honorary senator of the University of Heidelberg
1999: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstkreuz am Bande)
1999: Honorary senator of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
1999: Deutscher Stifterpreis by the German National Academic Foundation
2000: Naming the asteroid 13028 Klaustschira by the International Astronomical Union IAU for supporting the miniaturized satellite DIVA
2003: Fellow of the Gesellschaft für Informatik[http://www.gi.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Wettbewerbe/Fellowship/tschira.pdf GI-Fellow citation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813225123/http://www.gi.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Wettbewerbe/Fellowship/tschira.pdf |date=13 August 2011 }}, retrieved 9 March 2012.
2007: Konrad-Zuse-Badge
2007: Rudolf-Diesel-Medaille by the German Institute for Inventions
2008: Alwin-Walther-Medal
2008: Honorary senator of the Heidelberg College of Education
2009: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse)
2010: Honorary doctorate of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
2010: Leibniz-Medal by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2011: Honorary member of the Astronomische Gesellschaft
Honorary senator of the University of Mannheim