Press Conference 2022

Berlin, 19 October 2022.  The 7th Berlin Science Week will take place from 1 to 10 November. The main topics are energy and food security, climate and material research, advances in AI development, social transformations, and sustainable urban development. On 4 and 5 November under the motto PARADIGM SHIFT.CO-CREATING A SUSTAINABLE NOW, the festival center CAMPUS invites guests to the Museum für Naturkunde and the neighbouring Humboldt Universität. More on the programme and speakers at https://berlinscienceweek.com/programme/

Global challenges such as the advancing climate crisis, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the Corona pandemic put the important role of science in the spotlight. Many of the topics of this year’s Berlin Science Week reflect what is preoccupying the world at the moment: The future of clean energy technologies, energy-efficient digitalisation or the opportunities and challenges of circular economies.

A concrete focal point: How can science take place in Ukraine in times of the Russian war of aggression, and what implications does it have for national and international agricultural and food policy? The long tradition and innovative potential of Berlin and Brandenburg as a science location make the region an important place for international cooperation and knowledge exchange.

“No matter how complex science may be, it must remain explainable and accessible. As Berlin’s science senator, I am grateful that our scientific institutions, with their diversity and internationality, naturally do not conduct research in ivory towers, but remain accessible to all citizens. The Berlin Science Week is an outstanding example of this. It’s all about bringing science and society into dialogue with each other. I look forward to the interesting insights at the Berlin Science Week.” – says Senator for Science, Health, Care and Equality of Berlin, Ulrike Gote.

This year’s festival programme includes 200 events and over 400 speakers. Sustainability in a transdisciplinary context and the question of how we can actively better shape our future dominates as overarching themes.

“The world is in crisis mode, but there are also light of hope: Berlin Science Week shows how excellent science and research can positively shape the world of tomorrow,” – says Jürgen Mlynek, coordinator of Berlin Science Week.

Located in the Museum für Naturkunde since 2019, this year the Berlin Science Week CAMPUS will for the first time also take place in a lecture hall at Humboldt Universität. With the thematic focus PARADIGM SHIFT. CO-CREATING A SUSTAINABLE NOW! the campus days on 4 and 5 November will focus on multi-perspective approaches and joint efforts around the topics of sustainability and planetary health. For this year’s CAMPUS, Berlin Science Week is cooperating with “Zurich meets”, an initiative of the city and canton of Zurich. The cooperation bundles the innovative power of both cities and brings exciting topics and exhibits to Berlin, which festival visitors can experience on site.

This year’s festival programme includes various formats such as panel discussions, workshops, games, films, science slams, exhibitions, or livestreams, which are available to all visitors after registration. You can find out more about the programme of the Berlin Science Week 2022 here.

About die Berlin Science Week

Berlin Science Week is an annual science festival that brings together thousands of people from science, business, politics, the arts, and society from 1 to 10 November. Under the leitmotif ‘Dare to Know’, Berlin Science Week cooperates with organisations from all over the world to showcase scientific excellence, promote debates on the grand challenges of our time and find new, interactive and entertaining ways to get people excited about science, research and innovation.

Berlin Science Week CAMPUS (4 – 5 November)

Museum für Naturkunde Berlin & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin

Free ticket registration: Berlin Science Week CAMPUS 2022
More info: berlinscienceweek.com/campus/

Berlin Science Week is organised with the support of the Senate Department for Science, Health, Care and Equality and Berlin Partner for Business and Technology. Coordination is provided by the non-profit Falling Walls Foundation.

Press contact: Olena Taran, press@berlinscienceweek.com 

(Released quotes from the speakers at the Berlin Science Week press conference on 19 October 2022)

“Berlin Science Week is a unique opportunity to get a concentrated view of what Berlin’s science institutions are currently researching. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften is the largest non-university research institution in the country. During Berlin Science Week, it shows how important this research is for everyday life. To give just one example: At first glance, the first Polish partition was two hundred and fifty years ago – but at second glance, it is only when you investigate it you understand the conflicts around Ukraine and many tensions in Eastern Europe. If not conscious before, since 24 February the latest we all know that this requires our particular attention.” – Christoph Markschies, President Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

“Zurich meets Berlin” connects Zurich with inspiring metropolises around the world. With this festival, the city and canton of Zurich as well as Zurich Tourism, together with Zurich’s universities, are creating an international exchange and event format in the fields of science, innovation, and culture. The Berlin Science Week, as a global networking platform for science, is therefore the ideal partner for “Zürich meets Berlin”.”– Anna Schindler, Director of the Office for Urban Development, City of Zurich

“Berlin Science Week has developed into a Berlin highlight in recent years. We are delighted about this as a participant that has actively supported the event from the very beginning. This year, Humboldt University is an official cooperation partner for the first time. We are particularly looking forward to the events in the Humboldt Auditorium at Invalidenstraße, which will be a part of the CAMPUS programme together with the Museum für Naturkunde.”  – Julia von Blumenthal, President Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

„The climate crisis requires us to rethink our relationship to nature. Our movie “Amazon of Rights” thus traces indigenous cosmologies of nature along the Amazon river and asks: What if we treat nature not as an object, but as a subject of rights?“ – Cecilia Oliveira, Research Group Leader “Democratic Governance and Ecopolitical Transformations” EcoPol, IASS Potsdam