A New Milestone – Press Conference 2021

The 6th Berlin Science Week reaches a new milestone – the international science festival kicks off with a programme of over 200 events digitally and on-site, as well as 500 speakers from around the world.

Berlin, 20 October 2021. The 6th Berlin Science Week will take place from 1-10 November 2021. The Festival programme includes over 200 digital and on-site events with 500 speakers from around the world. The Berlin Science Week Campus at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin will host hybrid events and on-site exhibitions on 5 and 6 November. The full programme is available at berlinscienceweek.com/programme.

Since events such as Brexit or the Corona pandemic, Berlin’s international importance as a location for science and research has continued to grow. The inauguration of the “WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence” at the Charité campus underlines this same as the OX/BER Reserach Partnership or the recent establishment of the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences.

“The pandemic has shown how indispensable international cooperation is for dealing with global crises and how crucial communicating scientific findings and their extraction process in an understandable way is for the public” – emphasizes the Governing Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Science and Research, Michael Müller.

The Festival team turned the Corona-related digitalization of the last year to its advantage to further expand its international network. Says Jürgen Mlynek, coordinator of Berlin Science Week: “The mission of Berlin Science Week, to make science tangible for everyone, is more important today than ever. We can only achieve this if we tackle this task as an international community. We are delighted to have even more outstanding knowledge creators and research institutions at our side this year – both digitally and in person.“

Since 2016, Berlin Science Week has established itself as an important international platform for scientific organizations from Germany and abroad to present their research in Berlin. Important questions about climate change, the future of work or diversity in science are the focus and are debated in and with the public. The Festival programme includes a range of formats such as panel talks, workshops, science slams, exhibitions, performances, and livestreams, which are available to all registered visitors.

About Berlin Science Week

Berlin Science Week is a 10-day international festival that brings together the world’s most innovative scientific organizations in Berlin and online to celebrate science and facilitate an open and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and knowledge. With thousands of participants, it is one of the largest science events and takes place annually from November 1-10.

berlinscienceweek.com

Berlin Science Week is organized with the support of the Senate Chancellery – Science and Research and Berlin Partner for Business and Technology. The festival is coordinated by the non-profit Falling Walls Foundation.

Press contact: Lena Taran, press@berlinscienceweek.com 

Speaker statements at the Berlin Science Week press conference on 20 October, 2021:

“Only one in five W3 professorships was held by a woman in 2019. And only one in eight scientific positions at German universities was filled by non-German researchers in 2018. Obviously, we are still not succeeding in attracting important talents and potentials to German science. We cannot and should not afford this. Our science needs more diversity, for more chances of excellence for all of us.” – Jutta Allmendinger, President of WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Founding Coordinator Unit Social Studies and Humanities, BR50 

“The diversity of types of work will increase in the post-Covid society, which will bring threats and opportunities. Threats in the issue context of occupational health and safety and work-life balance, and opportunities in enabling full participation in the world of work for people who cannot commute to a workplace daily.” – Cigdem Issever, Academic Director OX/BER Research Partnership 

“Scientific evidence is vital for addressing the important challenges facing humanity today, from making sense of the societal impact of Covid-19 to averting catastrophic climate change. On these topics and many others, the Scientific Advice Mechanism provides science advice on demand directly to European Commissioners, so that their decision-making is based on the best available evidence.” – Toby Wardman, Head of Communication, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) 

“Berlin TXL focuses on innovative urban technologies, which create the base for sustainable resource-saving urban development. In the coming years, we will set ambitious standards in sustainability and digitalization, implementing novel planning in the Urban Tech Republic and in Schumacher Quartier. 140 innovative elements have already been incorporated into the plans – and with each new research institution, university and company joining the campus the number will continually grow. We are happy to show the importance of new urban technologies for Berlin – and for all other cities in the world – as part of Berlin Science Week.” – Gudrun Sack, Managing Director Berlin TXL