Brain City Berlin 2025: our Top 10 Events

200 years of Museumsinsel, 100 years of quantum science, 50 years of the Berlin University of the Arts, 25 years of LNDW: In 2025, Brain City Berlin is celebrating several anniversaries. And there is also plenty for science fans to see, learn and discover in the city. Whether at the Science Slam, the Berlin Science Week or the Long Night of Science. Here are our favourites!

1. Quantum2025 (Opening 14 January, HU Berlin)
   2025 will be all about quantum physics. The United Nations has declared this year the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Under the motto “Quantum2025 – 100 years is just the beginning…” various events and activities will take place worldwide.  The approach: To make the findings and future perspectives of quantum physics visible both within science and to the general public. In Germany, the German Physical Society (DPG) is coordinating the extensive anniversary programme. The quantum year will be launched on 14 January 2025 with a public event at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Another event highlight in Brain City Berlin is the “World Quantum Day” – on 14 April 2025 in the Urania Berlin. Make a note of it now!
    
2. 50 years of the Berlin University of the Arts (kick-off 8 February, UdK Berlin)
   Berlin University of the Arts will also be celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2025. On 30 September 1975, the University of Fine Arts and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Berlin were merged to form the “University of the Arts” (HdK). Since 2001, as an artistic and scientific university the HdK has been known as the Berlin University of the Arts. The UdK is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with many events and formats. The event will kick off on 8 February 2025 with the evening “An Experimental Ecology. Art practice in the dialogue of disciplines at the UdK Berlin”. Students of the UdK make up the programme with interdisciplinary contributions.
    
3. DMEA Connecting Digital Health (8 to 10 April)
   What moves Healthcare IT today and tomorrow? As Europe’s largest event in the field of health IT, DMEA Connecting Digital Health brings together all facets of digital healthcare in one place: the Berlin exhibition halls. In 2024, 18,600 people visited DMEA, and 800 exhibitors and 350 national and international speakers made the event the place to be for digital healthcare. Every year, the DMEA sparks Award also honours the best Bachelor’s and Master’s theses on the topic of “Digitalisation in the healthcare sector”. Students and graduates from the fields of computer science, medicine, healthcare and related disciplines can apply until 15 January 2025.
    
4. Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award 2025 (start of application phase 28 April)
   The Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award has been awarded annually by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg since 1992 to highlight innovative products, concepts and solutions from the five clusters of the Joint Innovation Strategy of the states of Berlin and Brandenburg (innoBB 2025). More than 180 companies, including co-operations with science, have been honoured so far and over 4,560 applications have been received. The application phase for the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award starts this year on 28 April 2025. The application deadline is 14 July 2025. The award ceremony will take place on 28 November 2025 in Berlin.
    
5. BIONNALE 2025 (14 to 15 May)
   It’s about professional exchange, matchmaking and information: Around 1,500 participants from science and industry are expected to attend this year’s BIONNALE. The two-day event is the largest networking event for the life sciences and healthcare sector in Berlin and Brandenburg. In 2025, the Speed Lecture Award will once again be presented as part of the BIONNALE. The award honours the best pitch from young scientists in the field of life sciences. And companies and institutions from the region can present their products and services at the industrial exhibition. BIONNALE 2025 will be held on site at the Ludwig Erhard Haus in Berlin-Charlottenburg on 14 May and virtually on 15 May. The organiser is the HealthCapital cluster management.
    
6. MS Wissenschaft 2025 (from May)
   Rising energy demand, dwindling resources and significant climate change: The world is facing great challenges.  On this year’s tour, the MS Wissenschaft will examine the numerous aspects of future energy from a scientific perspective. The focus of the interactive exhibition and the accompanying programme on board is on innovative technologies for energy supply as well as the economic, political and social requirements. The exhibition ship has been touring Germany every year since 2002, bringing science to life under a specific theme. It has been operating on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since 2012. From May to September 2025, the MS Wissenschaft will once again dock in 30 German cities, with optional stops in other cities and in Austria. To kick off its six-month tour, it traditionally anchors in Berlin-Mitte at the beginning of May. 
    
7. Long Night of Science 2025 (28 June)
   Around 2,000 scientific experiments, science shows, lectures, laboratory tours and many other events are once again on the extensive programme of the Long Night of Science in 2025. The more than 60 participating science and research institutions in Berlin and Potsdam will once again provide exciting insights into the diversity of science and technology, education and research, people and society, medicine and health, art and culture in Brain City Berlin at this year’s Long Night of Science. 30,000 night owls attended the 2024 science event despite the European Football Championship taking place at the same time. Just as many science fans are expected this year. The Long Night of Science addresses important issues of our time – such as climate change, nutrition and digitalisation. Brain City Berlin will be there again as a partner in 2025.
    
8. 200 years of Museumsinsel (from 8 July)The foundation stone for Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Altes Museum was laid on 9 July 1825. And thus also the first building block for the success story of one of the world’s most important museum districts. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the “island” with a five-year programme starting this summer. The five museums on the island – from the Altes Museum to the Pergamon museum – stage the unique Museum district in collaboration with the SPK with exhibitions, open-air exhibitions, concerts, cinema evenings and events for everyone. Three major special exhibitions will also open in 2025: The exhibition “Foundation of Antiquity. Berlin’s first museum” focuses on the architecture and history of the Altes Museum as the nucleus of today’s antiquities collection and the Museumsinsel World Heritage Site. “Myths in stone. Göbeklitepe and the world of the last hunters” takes visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Göbeklitepe.  And the Alte Nationalgalerie is showing the complete works of the “Scharf Collection” for the first time, with paintings by Goya, Monet, Degas, Bonnard and Bosse. Every year until 2030, one of the large museum buildings will invite visitors to discover its collections in an unconventional way.
    
9. World Health Summit (12 to 14 October 2025)
   Inspiring ideas and solutions to improve healthcare worldwide: At the World Health Summit, which takes place annually in Brain City Berlin, experts from science, politics, business and society discuss and network. The conference is regarded as one of the most important strategic platforms on the topic of global health. The participants will also make recommendations for policy action and formulate demands in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Summit was founded in 2009 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Charité. Goal of the summit: To improve global health through open dialogue and collaboration while preserving scientific independence. This year, more than 3,000 participants and over 350 speakers from around 140 countries are expected to attend the World Health Summit on site – and more than 20,000 participants online. 
    
10. Berlin Science Week 2025 (1 to 10 November)
    300 events at more than 120 locations: In 2024, Berlin Science Week once again brought together science, art and society throughout the city. 35,000 science enthusiasts met in Brain City Berlin. In 2025, the international science festival will once again bring to life the fact that Berlin is a globally leading, creative and extremely vibrant centre of science with panels, talks, workshops, science slams, exhibitions, performances and livestreams. A centre of the festival is the CAMPUS at the Museum of Natural History, Berlin. The Science & Culture FORUM has now also established itself as a permanent format, with a conference and many events highlighting the potential of interdisciplinary approaches to solving global challenges. The Falling Walls Conference Berlin is traditionally linked to the Berlin Science Week. Here, groundbreaking scientific findings are presented and discussed that could help to meet the Grand Challenges of our time successfully. (vdo)