Berlin University Alliance launches a new campaign

Brain City Berlin

“The Open Knowledge Laboratory – for the great transformations of our time”: With a new campaign, the Berlin University Alliance is making cutting-edge research in the Brain City Berlin visible and tangible. At the same time, it shows how these transformations can succeed through the cutting-edge research of its partners Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It starts with five poster motifs that connect research objects with perspectives on everyday life in Berlin.

How would Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt explore and discover the world today? For example like this: In one of the poster motifs for the new Berlin University Alliance (BUA) campaign, which was launched on May 6, they are wearing VR glasses and are looking out over the main building of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin towards the horizon. Cells float above the Charité ward like large, iridescent soap bubbles. They make reference to Rudolf Virchow, who developed and established cell pathology here in the middle of the 19th century – and thereby laid the scientific foundation for the cutting-edge research in the medicine of tomorrow.

The campaign shows a total of five motifs in its first phase from the beginning of May to the end of June, creatively staged by the Berlin-based 3D artist Nao Wao. As if through a magnifying glass, it takes a closer look at research successes from the Network of Excellence with the claim “The Open Knowledge Laboratory – for the great transformations of our time”, and thus provides new perspectives on Berlin’s cutting-edge research. This will be supplemented in the coming months, primarily via social media channels, the campaign website and events. “In the first phase, we are focussing on communicating with our four partners, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. This unique cooperation creates solutions for the success of transformation processes,” says BUA Head of Communications Suhana Reddy, explaining the concept of the campaign. “These include among others: Climate change, social cohesion, global health and technologies – for example nanosatellites that make it possible to predict natural disasters.”

The five posters mark the start of the BUA campaign. In addition, various event formats allow you to experience the Open Knowledge Laboratory. “For the Long Night of Science (LNDW) in June, we are organising pop-up events in the city, for example a BUA Run Club or Science at the weekly market,” explains campaign manager Lucie Schibel. “In the autumn, we will be organising an Augmented Reality exhibition for Berlin Science Week.” With the start of the campaign, the Berlin University Alliance also opened the BUA Open Space. The new salon series brings together for regular dialogue the stakeholders in Berlin’s ecosystem – from science, politics, business, culture, civil society and, of course, Berliners. The topic of the opening panel: Democracy under pressure.

The Open Knowledge Laboratory will enter its second phase in autumn 2024. The focus will then be expanded to include the cutting-edge research of the Berlin Clusters of Excellence. The interdisciplinary research projects of the BUA network partners are funded by the federal and state governments as part of the Excellence Strategy. Throughout the year, Berliners can experience the Open Knowledge Laboratory for themselves and get involved at the largely interactive events! (vdo)

berlin-university-alliance.de/wissenslabor (German only)