Berlin Science Week successfully started / The science festival runs until November 10
25.09.2025
From 1–10 November 2025, Berlin will once again become the centre of the international science scene. Berlin Science Week, one of Europe's leading science festivals, will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Guided by the theme “Beyond Now,” more than 350 events will take place over ten days at the two Festival Hubs and throughout Berlin, exploring how science can help overcome the crises of the present and open up new perspectives for the future. Most of these events are free of charge.
- Over 350 events, 150 partner organisations, and 700 contributors from science, art, and society
- Two Festival Hubs: CAMPUS (1–2 November) at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and FORUM (7–9 November) at Holzmarkt 25
- Citywide programme at over 80 scientific and cultural venues throughout Berlin
- Focus: How does science shape our future?
- Most events are free of charge and open to anyone interested. Registration is recommended for some events.
- Further information and programme at berlinscienceweek.com
Berlin, 25 September 2025 — Berlin is transforming into an interactive playground for scientific ideas and the latest approaches in national and international research. Over 150 partners from around the world are contributing to the programme.
Focus: How does science shape our future?
With this year's festival theme, “Beyond Now,” the focus of the programme is on the role science plays in shaping our future. In partnership with the Berlin University Alliance — an alliance between the Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin — Berlin scientists present their research on the grand challenges the city faces in the context of global change. International perspectives and major breakthroughs are the focus of the Falling Walls Science Summit, one of the world's most important science events, which brings together the leading minds of the global science scene in Berlin. A collaboration with Arizona State University's Decision Theater and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology sheds light on how scientific findings can be better incorporated into decision-making processes in politics, business, and administration.
Citywide Programme: Berlin as a vibrant centre of science and research
During Berlin Science Week, the whole city transforms into a playground of scientific ideas. The festival programme invites visitors to explore Berlin's international, vibrant, and diverse scientific landscape. It's an opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research and the people behind it. Over 80 universities, institutes, museums, and cultural venues will open their doors for exhibitions, panel discussions, performances, tours, and workshops.
Festival Hubs CAMPUS and FORUM
At the heart of Berlin Science Week are the two Festival Hubs, CAMPUS and FORUM, both of which are expected to welcome around 10,000 visitors.
From 1–2 November, Berlin Science Week will transform one of the city's most important scientific institutions, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, into CAMPUS, an interactive science lab for all ages. The two-day programme of talks, workshops, and a large exhibition area invites visitors to experience science up close. At the exhibition stands of leading research institutions, CAMPUS offers countless opportunities to get involved, such as experiments with light or historical games. The Inspiration Stage is new this year, featuring short popular science talks on topics ranging from inequality research to longevity and quantum physics.
From 7–9 November, Berlin Science Week will transform Holzmarkt 25 on the banks of the Spree into the FORUM for art, science, and society. There, interdisciplinary ideas will come together and the boundaries between art and science will be shifted. Visitors will experience science and research in the context of art and culture through workshops, discussions, performances, and pop-up stands. For the first time at Science Week, Holzmarkt 25 will host a specially curated art exhibition featuring high-calibre works located at the intersection of art and science.
Christian Rauch, Festival Director of Berlin Science Week, regarding the anniversary edition: "With Berlin Science Week, we are now offering a vibrant science festival for the 10th time for anyone who is curious and hungry for knowledge. To engage with science, you really only need one thing: the desire to discover new things. Our theme, ‘Beyond Now,’ is an invitation not to get stuck in crisis thinking in heated times. Science thrives on asking questions, testing, and re-evaluating supposedly certain truths. Findings are never absolute, but valid until new insights expand or refute them. This principle would also help us in our society at large: less absoluteness, more willingness to examine perspectives and rethink them."
SELECTED FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
CITYWIDE PROGRAMME
1–2 November: The Haus der Kulturen der Welt presents “Fertile Void – Quantum Cosmologies” a festival on quantum science, art, and speculation: performances, installations, and discourses explore how quantum research is changing our understanding of reality, time, and knowledge.
4 November: SCRIPTS invites you to the Center for East European and International Studies for a discussion with experts from science, politics, and civil society entitled “Collective Freedom: What's Worth Fighting For.” It is the first event in the three-part series “Contested Freedom(s)” as part of Berlin Science Week.
6–9 November: At the Falling Walls Science Summit, the global scientific elite will gather in Berlin to celebrate breakthroughs in research and technological innovations across all disciplines.
CAMPUS AT THE MUSEUM FÜR NATURKUNDE BERLIN
1–2 November: CERN, the world's largest research centre in the field of particle physics with several thousand researchers, presents its latest mega-project. The Future Circular Collider, a next-generation particle accelerator, combines cutting-edge science, sustainability, and global collaboration to push the boundaries of physics.
1–2 November: The Fraunhofer Network “Science, Art, and Design” presents fascinating textiles that are capable of feeling. Touch-sensitive textiles replace switches and buttons and blend seamlessly with surfaces.
FORUM AT HOLZMARKT 25
6–7 November: Arizona State University and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology invite you to the Decision Theater™ Ideathon, where researchers, creatives, technology experts, and political decision-makers will experiment with a novel tool that transforms big data into interactive visualisations— making it possible to experience how today's decisions can shape the future.
7 November: In his musical performance “Introduction to the Future Self,” exceptional musician Angela Aux, aka Florian Kreier, combines songs from well-known albums with video art and sci-fi literature to create a futuristic, transmedia performance that moves between dystopia, vision, and pop culture.
9 November: What does a healthy coral reef sound like, and can this soundscape heal damaged coral reefs? Marco Barotti, winner of this year's Falling Walls Breakthrough in Art & Science Award, presents his spectacular interdisciplinary art and science project “Coral Sonic Resilience,” which uses 3D-printed underwater sound sculptures and acoustics to support the regeneration of coral reefs while creating an immersive, scientifically based artistic experience.
The complete programme for Berlin Science Week 2025 can be found here.
Most events are free of charge, but registration is recommended for some events.
Download press photos here.
PRESS CONTACT:
SteinbrennerMüller Kommunikation on behalf of Berlin Science Week
Dr. Kathrin Steinbrenner & Kristian Müller
T: + 49 (0)30 4737 2192
ABOUT BERLIN SCIENCE WEEK:
Every year from 1–10 November, Berlin Science Week transforms Berlin into a festival of scientific ideas and celebrates groundbreaking research and innovation from Berlin's scientific institutions and their international partners. Through festival, we transcend disciplinary boundaries and connect the worlds of science and culture with a curious public. Together, we create a vibrant platform for science and society that invites people to explore how cutting-edge research shapes our world. The festival is hosted by the Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH and organised with the support of the Berlin Senate Department for Science, Health, Care, and Equality. More: berlinscienceweek.com
ABOUT THE FALLING WALLS FOUNDATION:
Since 2009, the non-profit Falling Walls Foundation has been bringing together the most renowned and influential thought leaders from around the world. Nobel Prize winners, startups, young scientific talents, research companies, culture, politics, and media discuss the question: “Which are the next walls to fall in science and society?” The Falling Walls Foundation's programs build bridges between science and society and convey enthusiasm for the work of scientists in all disciplines. More: falling-walls.com