Velux Stiftung Switzerland is a science-funding foundation with the aim to cause impact for sustainable improvement and benefit of humankind. The foundation supports science in the areas of Daylight and Humans, Daylight and Nature, Daylight Technology, Healthy Ageing and Ophthalmology - and Forestry. International and interdisciplinary research of cutting edge quality, its dissemination, transfer and application are important factors the foundation considers key to cause impact in science and society. Leadership can propel scientific output to valuable outcome and impact for stakeholders outside of the original academic community. Our support aims to change perspectives in the scientific community, to accelerate research by removing bottlenecks, to enable the transfer of research by closing knowledge gaps for hands-on problems or implementing an application in order to create impact and benefit for mankind.