Brain City Berlin goes Hollywood - The Berlin Lab in Los Angeles
10.10.2017 | To celebrate the 50-year city partnership between Los Angeles and Berlin, Berlin is showcasing its talents as a science hub in the city of film with a variety of events.
In early October, Los Angeles and Berlin celebrated 50 years as sister cities – the perfect occasion for the German capital to travel to L.A. On 4 and 5 October, both cities celebrated the golden anniversary of their partnership with a two-day festival at the Berlin Lab in downtown L.A. On both days, the be Berlin pop-up lab showcased the things that make Berlin stand out: technology, science, art and culture, music and food.
Discussions, screenings, workshops
On the two days of the festival, panel discussions on topical cultural and societal issues were on the agenda, alongside screenings and workshops by and for young filmmakers, a dance performance put on by the Flying Steps Academy, plenty of music, a virtual reality station and art from the Berlin street artists ‘Die Dixons’. Tech Open Air (TOA), Europe’s biggest interdisciplinary technology conference, celebrated its second appearance in the USA and opened the convention at the Berlin Lab. At the ‘Long Table’ art project from Berlin, visitors discussed the topic of freedom in Berlin and Los Angeles. The Berlin Lab in Los Angeles played host to over 3,000 guests.
Berlin as a global science hub
This year, the focus was on Berlin as an international metropolis and global science hub, with its over 200,000 knowledge creators and over 100 research institutions. The city’s cosmopolitan character and internationalism play a key role. This was also clear from the panel discussion ‘Brain Cities - Berlin LA’, which showcased Berlin’s exciting science scene, presenting a select range of initiatives as examples, with a focus on the international context and relevant points of contact for international cooperation. The various focuses of both science hubs were debated and compared in discussions with representatives from the scientific community. Two key questions were at the forefront: what makes Berlin special as a science hub and what exciting developments are taking place in the international context? What can be learned from Berlin’s development in the area of science and research? Are there any success stories about the exchange between the academic scene in Berlin and Los Angeles? And what opportunities are out there for young scientists in Berlin to get involved? The main goal was to learn from each other and to promote deeper collaboration and exchange.
Scientific opportunities in Berlin for American scientists
In addition to the panel discussion, an exhibition stand was organised in collaboration with Berlin Sciences to showcase flagship projects from the Berlin science scene and provide new information on scientific opportunities for Californian students, scientists and science facilities in Berlin. The exhibition stand offered interested Berlin science institutions the opportunity to present themselves on site.
The programme of events for representatives of Berlin science institutions also included visits with networking events, opening the doors of central science institutions in Los Angeles to the Berlin science scene and improving and expanding ties between key players and institutions in science and research.