What is currently being developed in the labs and institutes of Adlershof? The Adlershof Research Forum (AFF) on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, offers an overview. At the one-day conference at the Erwin Schrödinger Center, researchers from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, non-university research institutions and companies present their current projects. The forum is jointly organized by Humboldt-Universität, IGAFA e. V. (the association of non-university research institutions in Adlershof) and WISTA Management GmbH.
Held every two years, the forum marks the close of this year’s Berlin Science Week. Under the banner of “Adlershof Knowledge,” it showcases the work being done at the site and brings together people who often do research just a few minutes’ walk from each other. The science and technology park in southeast Berlin is one of the city’s eleven Zukunftsorte (Future Places): Humboldt-Universität’s natural science institutes are located here alongside non-university research institutions and numerous technology companies.
It is precisely this proximity that makes a format like the AFF worthwhile. If you know what your neighbors are working on, it’s easier to find partners for joint projects. In this way, the forum reflects one of Brain City Berlin’s strengths: the short distances between universities, research institutes and industry.
From light frequencies to batteries
After a welcome address by Dr. Anja Sommerfeld of Berlin Research 50 (BR50), representatives of the three organizers share news from the site in the “Adlershof Newscorner”: Prof. Dr. Ulf Leser, Vice President for Research at Humboldt-Universität; Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Bickermann of the IGAFA board; and Roland Sillmann, Managing Director of WISTA Management GmbH.
In the first keynote, Prof. Dr. Nathalie Picqué, Director at the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI), speaks about frequency comb photonics. In the afternoon, Dr. Gustav Graeber, junior research group leader at Humboldt-Universität and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), presents battery research from materials to safety. In short talks under the title “Insight Adlershof,” researchers and founders from science and industry also take the floor, including representatives of the Adlershof companies NextGO Epi and Nanolope.
Artificial intelligence up for discussion
What opportunities and risks does artificial intelligence bring for a research and technology hub like Adlershof? A panel of representatives from industry, research, the student body and a technology foundation will discuss this question, including Prof. Dr. Franziska Emmerling (BAM), sociologist Prof. Dr. Philipp Staab (Humboldt-Universität) and Nicolas Zimmer, CEO of Technologiestiftung Berlin. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Jan Mendling of the Department of Computer Science at Humboldt-Universität.
Poster session for early-career researchers
Early-career researchers present their work in a poster session. To kick things off, each presents their poster in a one-minute pitch, and there is time to talk during the breaks. In the afternoon, the three best posters will receive awards of 500, 200 and 100 euros. Registration for the poster session has already closed. The day ends with a “Science Dating” session to make new connections, in keeping with the spirit of exchange in Brain City Berlin.
At a glance
When: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Erwin Schrödinger Center, Rudower Chaussee 26, 12489 Berlin
Admission: free
Registration: requested by email to events@igafa.de
Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Language: mostly German, with some contributions in English
Program and further information: www.adlershof.de/forschungsforum