Opening up science for dialogue with society

Brain City Berlin

From 1 to 10 November, Brain City Berlin will once again be a hotspot for the international science community. The Berlin Science Week programme, which is taking place for the seventh time this year, includes more than 200 events. And more than 400 speakers are expected. The overall subjects of the science festival are sustainability in a transdisciplinary context and the shaping of the future.

It all started with the Falling Walls Summit and the desire to take the achievements and momentum of the global scientific community beyond the walls of the conference to the public. In 2016 the first Berlin Science Week took place in Brain City Berlin. Seven years later, the international science festival is still closely linked to the science summit, where leading figures from science, politics, business and the media will again discuss groundbreaking research results from 7-9 November in Berlin’s Radialsystem. The Berlin Science Week, on the other hand, primarily aims to inspire the widest possible audience for science, research and innovation and thereby also promote public debates about the great challenges of our time.

“Dare to Know” – this is also the motto of the festival this year, which will again take place largely on site in 2022. More than 200 events are on the program, including panel discussions, workshops, games, films, science slams, exhibitions and live streams. Over 400 speakers will present a wide range of topics, including technology & science, genetic research, the language of trees or circular economy within your own four walls.

With the focus topic “PARADIGM SHIFT. CO-CREATING A SUSTAINABLE NOW” the Berlin Science Week CAMPUS this year is all about sustainability & planetary health. On 4 and 5 November, the campus will again be located in the Museum of Natural History – and for the first time in a lecture hall at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. For this year’s CAMPUS, the festival is also cooperating for the first time with “Zürich meets”, an initiative of the city and canton of Zurich.

The Berlin Science Week 2022 would like to show how excellent science and research can shape the world of tomorrow with its global challenges such as the climate crisis, wars and pandemics in a more positive way. Christine Brummer, director of Berlin Science Week, tells us more about the international science festival in the Brain City interview.

Ms. Brummer, in 2022 the Berlin Science Week will again take place largely live and on site. What can visitors particularly look forward to?

Around 70 percent of the events are again on site in Berlin this year, which is great. It is always difficult to pick a few out of the 200 great events. Anyone interested in the topic of sustainability should definitely stop by the campus at the Museum of Natural History on 4 and 5 November. There is a wealth of exciting, interactive formats and exhibitions that illuminate the topic from different perspectives. For example with the documentary “Dear Future Children” or “Torfitz”, a game about structural change.

What is the current objective of the science festival?

It has not changed over the years. We want to open up science for dialogue and exchange with society through a variety of formats and invite interested people to participate in the great debates of this time.

What significance does Berlin Science Week now have in the international science community – and what role does Berlin play as a science location in this context?

In addition to the Long Night of Science, the Berlin Science Week has become a fixed format in the community’s calendar, both nationally and internationally. Berlin naturally has a very good reputation in the national and international science landscape. We hear from many participants that this science festival with its openness and multidisciplinarity can only take place in Berlin.

Events such as “Creative Bureacracy Festival meets Science” bring together female scientists and stakeholders from urban society. How important is interdisciplinarity or transdisciplinarity for the community?

The current crises clearly show that solutions can only be found through cooperation and exchange. The awareness of this is present in the community and is reflected in the formats of the Berlin Science Week. For example on 6 November, where seven institutes of the Research Network Berlin celebrate science for one day with elevator pitches or scientific crosstalk between fish researchers and quantum people.

Networking is an important aspect of Berlin Science Week. Are there any exciting projects that have emerged from the festival?

Oh yes, many. We also see our task in bringing interested organisations into contact with each other. Great formats emerge from this. Just one example: An event about AI in art and music will take place at SO36 in Oranienstrasse on 9 November. It is the result of a collaboration that we initiated.

This year, the campus is all about sustainability...

That’s right. The topic of sustainability pervades all areas of our lives to a large extent and increasingly. Be it in the field of nutrition, medicine or Artificial Intelligence. We have chosen this thematic focus for the first time this year to show the different approaches that exist in the field of science, innovation and research, and to reflect this paradigm shift.

Some Berlin Science Week events have an artistic approach. Is there a trend emerging here?

It is generally exciting to see how certain scientific topics are processed in a transdisciplinary way. The areas of art and science are extremely fertile for each other. Especially in Berlin, with a very lively art and science scene, a lot is happening in this area.

What would you recommend to visitors who have difficulty deciding in view of the abundance of events?

The team has put together three different series of topics – Event Picks – on our website berlinscienceweek.com. For example, “After Hour” for working people who still feel like taking part in Berlin Science Week after work. Just have a look! (vdo)

Further Information

Berlin Science Week 2022
Visiting the events is generally free of charge. Please check the respective event page to see whether prior registration is required.

Falling Walls Summit 2022

Event Tip: “Excelling Science Accelerators – the do’s and don’ts of incubation and acceleration learning from the best worldwide”, Radialsystem, 8 November 2022, 12:00–13:00