Outlook: What will matter in Berlin science in 2026

Brain City Berlin

We wish all readers a great start to the new year. After the anniversary year 2025, the Science Year 2026 begins with a clear focus on the topic Medicine of the Future. Berlin enters the year with strong impulses from research, higher education and science policy. At the start of the year, we provide an overview of good news, key dates and central themes from Berlin and international science.

Good news at the start of the year

Leading medical research at Charité: The Science Year 2026 begins in Berlin with important research projects, particularly at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. At the Friede Springer Cardiovascular Prevention Center, the Heart Health Study is launching, examining up to 5,000 participants aged 18 to 70. The aim is to identify risk factors for cardiovascular disease at an early stage, before symptoms appear. In addition, Charité continues intensive research on HIV and various types of cancer, further strengthening Berlin’s role as an internationally visible hub for prevention and translational research.

Cleaner air, better health: Environmental zones are having an effect. Air pollution is falling significantly in major cities such as New York and London, and progress is also measurable in Berlin. The low-emission zone within the S-Bahn ring remains in place, requiring a green emissions sticker, and citywide the Brain City Berlin has met its target values for air pollutants since 2020. Studies by the German Institute for Economic Research show that environmental zones not only improve physical health but also have wider social benefits, including fewer mental health issues and better educational outcomes. This is an example of how evidence-based research effectively informs urban policy.

International mobility strengthened: There is also good news for Berlin’s universities. The United Kingdom is gradually rejoining the Erasmus programme and will once again fully participate in Erasmus+ from 2027. This strengthens international mobility for students and researchers and opens up new perspectives for European cooperation, including for Berlin’s research landscape.

Key dates for your 2026 calendar

The International Green Week is currently taking place in Berlin from 16 to 25 January 2026 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary. As part of the event, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is presenting an exhibition on peatland protection that connects scientific knowledge with design and practice.

A fixed highlight in Berlin’s science calendar is the Long Night of the Sciences on 6 June 2026. After celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, the event once again brings research out of laboratories and institutes and into the city.

From 2 to 4 September 2026, the PartWiss Conference on participation in science will take place. It is hosted by the Science and Society Unit of Technische Universität Berlin, supported by the TD Lab of the Berlin University Alliance. The focus is on exchange, networking and strengthening participatory approaches in research and science communication.

Berlin Science Week from 1 to 10 November 2026 is the most important festival for science and culture in the capital. Its aim is to transform the Brain City Berlin into an open space for scientific ideas. With hundreds of free events, it brings research out of institutions and into the urban public sphere.

At the same time, from 7 to 9 November, the Falling Walls Science Summit will take place. This global forum brings together international pioneers from science, politics and business to discuss breakthroughs and generate new impulses.

A regular recommendation throughout the year is the Science Slam at the Zeiss Planetarium in Prenzlauer Berg. Once a month, early-career researchers present their work in ten-minute talks that are clear, entertaining and to the point.

Key themes in 2026

Across Germany, the Science Year 2026 is dedicated to Medicine of the Future. Many Berlin research institutions are contributing with events and projects. The official opening will take place on 20 January 2026 at the Futurium. Central questions include how future medicine will look, how diseases can be detected and prevented earlier, how therapies can be more personalised, how digital technologies can be used responsibly, and how gender-sensitive research contributes to fairer healthcare. In the morning from 11 am, the opening address by the Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space, Dorothee Bär, will be livestreamed. In the evening, visitors can explore key health topics on site from 5 pm.

The Einstein Foundation Berlin continues to strengthen the research location with funding of 13 million euros for eleven new projects. Initiatives in areas such as quantum computing and preventive medicine will be supported over six years. The largest project is the Einstein Center for Early Disease Interception, which aims to detect and treat diseases at a very early stage. After an initial phase, the focus will be on accelerating the development, integration and application of new key technologies. This is complemented by a new Einstein Research Unit on technologies in global health, working with seven African partner institutions.

Artificial intelligence remains another key topic. Brain City Berlin is a leading AI research location in Germany and has the highest density of AI start-ups nationwide. The recently established AI competence centre BIFOLD, the Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data, conducts research on big data and machine learning. In December, the German Research Foundation awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize to BIFOLD Co-Director Prof. Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller of TU Berlin for his work in artificial intelligence and machine learning and their interdisciplinary applications, particularly in the natural sciences.

We wish all readers a great start to an exciting Science Year 2026.