Neue Perspektiven eröffnen: Berlin Science Week 2025

Brain City Berlin

From 1 to 10 November, Berlin Science Week once again invites you to explore the diverse research landscape of Brain City Berlin. Under this year’s motto “BEYOND NOW”, the festival will host more than 350 events exploring how science can help overcome today’s crises and shape our future. A special reason to celebrate: Berlin Science Week is turning ten!

Berlin Science Week began in 2016 with around 30 events. Today, the festival is one of the most important science events worldwide—and it keeps growing: over 350 events are on the programme this year. Through exhibitions, panel discussions, performances, guided tours and workshops, visitors can discover Berlin’s cutting-edge research and engage directly with the people behind it.

This year’s science festival is above all a space for reflection, questioning, and forward thinking. “Our motto ‘Beyond Now’ is an invitation not to remain stuck in the crisis mindset of heated times,” says Festival Director Christian Rauch. “Science thrives on asking questions, testing ideas, and discarding supposedly certain truths. Insights are never absolute—they hold until new findings expand or refute them. This principle could also help society: less absolutism, more openness to examining and rethinking perspectives.” One opportunity for reflection and discussion is the event “BERLIN SCIENCE WEEK 2025 X BERLIN UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE”: top researchers from the excellence network “Berlin University Alliance” (BUA) will present their perspectives on five major transformation topics on 7 November, from climate change and global health to social cohesion, quantum technologies, and responsible innovation. They will also discuss which visions we need to shape today to enable solutions for tomorrow.

Also at Holzmarkt 25, the “Decision Theater” of Arizona State University, in collaboration with the Max-Planck-Institute for Geoanthropology, will explore in several sessions how scientific insights can better inform decision-making in politics, business, and administration. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt will present the festival “Fertile Void – Quantum Cosmologies” on 1 and 2 November, featuring performances, installations, and discussions that show how quantum research is transforming our understanding of reality, time, and knowledge.

Festival Hub: CAMPUS (1–2 November, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin)

The CAMPUS hub at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is an interactive science lab. Live talks, workshops, and a large exhibition area offer visitors of all ages exciting insights into current research projects and opportunities to engage with researchers, institutions, and students. The CAMPUS programme connects science with everyday life. For example, the “Digital Einstein” from ETH Zurich humorously answers questions from the genius’s perspective. The Fraunhofer network “Science, Art and Design” presents intelligent textiles that can “feel”. And the Berlin Institute of Health explains the importance of stem cell research for medicine in the “Speaker’s Corner”. New to the CAMPUS programme is the “Inspiration Stage”, where researchers give popular science short talks on the latest discoveries, offering new perspectives on topics such as inequality research, healthy ageing, or quantum physics. The audience is invited to ask questions and actively engage with the ideas presented. The CAMPUS programme runs from 9:30 a.m. to around 6 p.m. on both days. Admission is free. However, registration is required for workshops due to limited space.

Festival Hub: FORUM (7–9 November, Holzmarkt 25)

At the FORUM, the intersections between art and science are once again explored. The central questions here are: “How do we share knowledge, how do we design futures, and how do we create connection?” Discussions, workshops, performances, and interactive formats invite exchange and experimentation. From 12 to 7 p.m., universities, research institutes, and artists will present hands-on projects at pop-up stands on the outdoor grounds of Holzmarkt 25. In the evenings, art, science, and technology creatively converge in sound, image, and performance. One example is the “ART+SCIENCE SALON Séance for Science”, a participatory exploration of belief in the age of AI, hosted by The ART+SCIENCE SALON and the Jazz Institute Berlin of the Universität der Künste Berlin, concluding the FORUM on 9 November. Another highlight: to mark its 10th anniversary, Berlin Science Week will present its first own exhibition “Beyond Us” in the Artistenhalle of the FORUM. The exhibition features works by Marco Barotti, winner of the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2025 in the “Art & Science” category. At its centre is his award-winning project “Coral Sonic Resilience”, a series of underwater sound sculptures exploring how the soundscapes of healthy coral reefs can aid the recovery of damaged ecosystems. Admission to all daytime events at the FORUM is free. Those wishing to attend workshops should register in advance. Tickets are required for evening events.

From November 7 to 9, Brain City Berlin will be at the FORUM. Visit us!

Parallel Event: Falling Walls Summit (6–9 November)

Running alongside the science festival, the Falling Walls Summit will take place from 6 to 9 November at Café Moskau on Karl-Marx-Allee. Leading scientists will meet with visionaries from business and politics to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and shape the future together. On 9 November, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the “Falling Walls Breakthroughs of the Year” will be awarded in the categories “Life Sciences”, “Physical Sciences”, “Engineering & Technology”, “Social Sciences & Humanities”, “Art & Science”, and the “Women’s Impact Award”. The question of the evening - 36 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall: “Which walls in science and society will fall next?”Berlin Science Week is organised by the non-profit Falling Walls Foundation with support from the Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care.Brain City Berlin is a project partner. Admission to most events is free. For some, registration is recommended due to limited capacity.

The opening of the anniversary edition of Berlin Science Week will take place on the evening of 1 November 2025 in the Dinosaur Hall of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Early arrival is advised. (vdo)