In 2002, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt initiated the Russian German Young Leaders Forum in order to deepen German-Russian relations. The forum, which gathers 40 young leaders from both countries and is scheduled to meet annually for several days either in Germany or Russia, seeks to increase the mutual knowledge and exchange between the two countries through the building of personal relationships.

In cooperation with the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, the BMW Foundation, in 2008, launched the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden. Continuing the tradition of the Foundation's earlier Russian-German Young Leaders Forums, the German-Russian Dialogue Baden-Baden will replace the Russian-German Young Leaders Forums.