A Year of Impact

In 2025, Augmentum significantly expanded its commitment to cultural heritage, environmental restoration, and community wellbeing. With total donations reaching over CHF 2.0 million, a 77% increase from the previous year, the organisation reaffirmed its mission to protect the past, sustain the planet, and support vulnerable communities.

Preserving Culture: Safeguarding Stories of the Past

The Practical Mariner Project – Oxford University

Now in its second year, this innovative research initiative is rewriting our understanding of ancient Mediterranean trade by focusing on the forgotten perspective of sailors. Researchers are modelling historical sea routes, analysing weather patterns, identifying shipwrecks, and building interactive resources that show how mariners navigated the perils of 1750–500 BCE. The project also examines how climate change may impact ancient trading routes, an intersection of archaeology and sustainability rarely explored.

Animal Mummies Project – The British Museum

With nearly 500 specimens, the British Museum houses one of the world’s most important collections of Egyptian animal mummies. Augmentum is supporting the first systematic, multidisciplinary study of these artefacts, including conservation, radiocarbon dating, scanning, and material analysis. The project will culminate in a major 2027 exhibition, shedding new light on cultural rituals and religious practices thousands of years old.

Lewis Chess Pieces Project – The British Museum

These iconic 12th-century pieces, tiny masterpieces carved from walrus ivory, offer a window into medieval society. Augmentum's support enables advanced scientific analysis, refreshed museum displays, scholarly publications, and global outreach to make this cultural treasure more widely understood.

Protecting Nature: Restoring Europe’s Wild Places and Studying the Arctic

Rewilding Europe – Croatia

Augmentum continues to back this pioneering landscape-scale rewilding effort across the Velebit Mountains. From reintroducing red deer and promoting wildlife corridors to supporting marine biodiversity surveys and educational events, the project is revitalising ecosystems while empowering local communities. With thousands attending photo exhibitions and youth programs, rewilding is becoming a shared regional movement.

Arctic Carbon Project – National Oceanography Centre

A warming Arctic is transforming global oceans, yet much remains unknown. To help fill this gap, Augmentum funded a scientific expedition aboard M/Y AKULA to study dissolved organic carbon in Greenland’s fjords. Researchers sampled three fjords, gathering extensive data on nutrients, biodiversity, light conditions, and carbon composition.Their findings will support global climate research and deepen understanding of fragile Arctic ecosystems.

Supporting Communities: Reducing Food Waste and Fighting Poverty

Tischlein Deck Dich – Switzerland

Through long-standing support, Augmentum helps prevent food waste while feeding families in need across Switzerland. In 2024 alone, more than 88,000 kg of food were redistributed through two distribution centres.This year’s contribution also funded the purchase of a much-needed new refrigerated van, Chicco II, ensuring the safe transport of rescued food for years to come.

Welcomed - Medici in Famiglia - Italy

Augmentum has initiated a new support partnership with Welcomed, the pioneering center in Italy dedicated to medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, and family services, with a specialised team focused on child and adolescent development. Welcomed is deeply committed to social responsibility: 100% of its profits are reinvested into providing free medical services through the Visita Sospesa® initiative and into community projects in collaboration with institutions, third-sector organizations, schools, and hospitals.

A Year of Growth, Purpose, and Shared Responsibility

Across archaeology, climate science, ecological restoration, and poverty relief, Augmentum’s 2025 commitments reflect a holistic vision of philanthropy - one in which caring for the planet, understanding our past, and supporting one another are deeply interconnected.

By empowering researchers, conservationists, and local volunteers, Augmentum continues to build bridges between knowledge, nature, and community - laying the groundwork for a more resilient and compassionate future.