Press Kit
This press kit includes information media representatives may use for the press coverage of the Falling Walls Foundation and its projects.
Below you may find information about the Falling Walls Foundation, the Falling Walls Science Summit, the Berlin Science Week and other projects.
For interview and press inquiries please contact: press@falling-walls.com
SELECTED KEY RESULTS FROM SCIENCE SUMMIT 2024
The following key results summarize the central discussions and insights from the Falling Walls Science Summit 2024. They reflect the urgent challenges and opportunities facing science, politics, business and society. Across the panels, international experts discussed the role of science and innovation in times of geopolitical tensions, rapid technological change and global crises such as climate change, migration and threats to democracy.
These outcomes provide not only a snapshot of where we stand today but also insights for future strategies in research, policy and industry. At their core lies the question of how science can harness its transformative power to strengthen resilience, innovation and trust.
The new key results will be published and widely distributed following the Falling Walls Science Summit 2025, ensuring the continuation of these debates and the facilitation of concrete pathways for action.
“NATURAL HAZARDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE”
Panellists: Susanne Buiter (Helmholtz Centre Potsdam—GfZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, DE), Andreas Märkert (Hannover Re Group, DE), Marco Bonhoff (German Research Centre for Geosciences, DE), Thomas Heilmann (Deutscher Bundestag, DE), Mariette DiChristina-Gerosa (Boston University College of Communication, USA)
“DRIVING INNOVATION: RENEWABLES AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY”
Panellists: Bernd Rech (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, DE), Jennifer Porto (Moderation)(NYU Berlin, DE), Juha Pankakoski (Siemens Energy, DL), Magdalena Atria Barros (Chilean Embassy, Berlin, DE), Carla Seidel (BASF SE, DE)
“FEEDING THE WORLD IN 2050: FUTURE FOOD SECURITY”
Panellists: Karin Guendel-Gonzales (Bayer Cropsicience Deutschland, DE), Akua Antwi-Agyakwa (Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, GH), Jack A. Bobo (University of Notthingham, GB), Patricia Gruber (U.S. Department of State, US), Christophe F. Maire (Atlantic Labs & Food Labs, DE), Magdalena Skipper (Moderation) (Springer Nature, GB)
“REGULATING CONFLICTS IN INSTITUTIONS: MIGRATION, CLIMATE, IDENTITY POLITICS”
Panelists: Jens Martin Gurr (University of Duisburg-Essen, DE), Patrick Cramer (Max Planck Society, DE), Simone Schwanitz (Max Planck Society, DE), Metin Sitti (Koç University, TR) Moderator: Sabine Lehmann (German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, DE)
“EXPANDING GLOBAL ACCESS TO INNOVATIVE MEDICAL THERAPIES”
Panellists: Jennifer Adair (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, US), Alain Huriez (Abdio Partners, FR), Jimi Olaghere (ICER, US), Christof von Kalle (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), DE), Beate Kampmann (Moderation)(Charité Center for Global Health, DE)
“HPC AND AI SOLUTIONS: A COLLECTIVE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT”
Panellists: Kohei Itoh (Keio University, JP), John Josephakis (NVIDIA, US), Paul Kearns (Argonne National Laboratory, US), Richard Socher (you. com, US), David Patrician (Moderation)(RTL Nord, DE)
“RELIABLE GENERATIVE AI: A KEY TO INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS”
Panellists: Mehdi Ali (Fraunhofer IAIS, DE), Michael Bartsch (ai. dopt, DE), HansJörg Vögel (BMW Group, DE), Ludwig Siegele (Moderation)(The Economist, DE)
“WINNING THE DEEP TECH CENTURY: EUROPE’S PATH TO INNOVATION”
Panellists: Rafael Laguna de La Vera (SPRIND, DE), Michael Brigl (Boston Consulting Group (BCG), DE), Monika Lessl (Bayer Foundation, DE), Michiel Scheffer (President of the European Innovation Council Board, BE), Robbert Dijkgraaf (University of Amsterdam, NL), Thierry Coulhon (Moderation, FR)
“4TH GEN UNIVERSITIES: SHAPING FUTURE INNOVATION AND IMPACT”
Panellists: Alexandr Hobza (EU Commission, DE), Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades (RSL Revolutionary Labs, Theramir, CY, GR), Peter Schlosser (Arizona State University, US), Robert-Jans Smits (Eindhoven University of Technology, NL), Nick Fowler (Moderation)(Elsevier, BE)
“FUTURE OF OPEN SCIENCE: ENHANCING RESEARCH ACCESS AND IMPACT”
Panellists: Julieta Arancio (Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA), DE), Joseph Broz (IBM, US), Gerard Meijer (Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, DE), Magdalena Skipper (Nature, GB), Alina Schadwinkel (Moderation) (DER SPIEGEL, DE)
“PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CIVIC SCIENCE LEADERS”
Panellists: Mariette Dichristina (Moderation)(Boston University College of Communication, US), Dietram Scheufele (University of Wisconsin-Madison, US), Frances Colón (Center for American Progress, US), Avriel C. Epps (Cornell University, US), Narayan Sankaran (University of San Francisco, US), Naledi Saul (University of California, San Francisco, US)
“THE LIMITS OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM”
Panellists: Hanoch Gutfreund (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IS), Thorsten Schwede (University of Basel, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, CH), Ruth Morgan (University College London, UK), Frederick Fenter (Frontiers, CH) (Moderation), Robbert Dijkgraaf (University of Amsterdam, NL), Tanja Stadler (ETH Zürich, CH)
“DEMOCRACY UNDER ATTACK”
Panellists: Carsten Holtkamp (Kreab Germany, DE), Anna Lührmann (Federal Foreign Office, DE), Petra Schleiter (St. Hilda’s College, University of Oxford, GB), Lora Viola (Freie Universität Berlin, DE), Alexander Betts (Moderation) (Brasenose College, University of Oxford, GB)
“TRUST & DEMOCRACY” (RESTORING TRUST: BUILDING DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE)
Panellists: Gosia Binczyk (European Commission, BE), Christof Gattringer (Austrian Science Fund, AT), Günther Nooke (Former Member of German Parliament, DE), Manon Westphal (University of Münster, DE), Swantje von Massenbach (Moderation)(Medienakademie, DE)
“KIWI POLICY TALK: TRANSATLANTIC SCIENCE RELATIONS & THE US ELECTION”
Panellists: Ralf Beste (Federal Foreign Office, DE), Annette Gray (New York University, US), Young-Kee Kim (University of Chicago, US), Joybrato Mukherjee (German Academic Exchange Service, DE), Sandra Pfister (Moderation) (Deutschlandfunk, DE)
What are the next walls to fall in science and society?
The Falling Walls Foundation is inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 and the dawn of a new era of freedom. The non-profit foundation promotes breakthrough thinking and builds a growing network of leaders from science, business, and the public sector to tackle great challenges and make groundbreaking ideas accessible to society.
FALLING WALLS SCIENCE SUMMIT
Is the leading forum for global science leaders with focus on science breakthroughs. The summit takes place in Berlin from 6 – 9 November, the anniversary day of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This holistic approach of international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral discourse is globally unique and attracts leading researchers, CTOs, science strategists, sciences funders, and media worldwide. More: falling-walls.com
BERLIN SCIENCE WEEK
Is a ten-day festival in Berlin that allows over 100 academic institutions from all over the world to showcase their work, to connect and engage with the local and international science community and the public. With thousands of participants every year it is one of the largest science events. The Berlin Science Week takes place every year from 1-10 Nov and concludes with the Falling Walls Science Summit (6–9 Nov). More: berlinscienceweek.com
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN SCIENCE (YES)
Is an educational programme that encourages PhDs and Postdocs of all disciplines to become Sciencepreneurs starting their own business. YES strengthens entrepreneurial thinking and promotes entrepreneurial career paths through creative workshops and webinars. Together with our partners in academia and business every year we ask about a thousand participants: How much startup is in your PhD? More: youngentrepreneursinscience.com
FEMALE SCIENCE TALENTS
Promotes inclusive excellence and leadership in science, business, and society. With the Intensive Track, the programme elevates 20 exceptional early career researchers annually through peer engagement, workshops and global networking. With the annual Women’s Impact Award, it recognizes groundbreaking women-led research contributing to gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals.. More: falling-walls.com/female-science-talents/
CREATIVE BUREAUCRACY FESTIVAL
Is the largest international festival of innovation in the public sector. It gathers innovators in the public sector from all levels and all fields of expertise and from all over the world. Every year over 400 speakers provide innovative solutions in countless fields of the public sector (the largest industry on the planet) and give an idea how inspiring and rewarding civil service can be. More: creativebureaucracy.org
Download the CV of the Chairman of the Board of the Falling Walls Foundation, Prof. Jürgen Mlynek.
Download the CV of the Managing Director of the Falling Walls Foundation, Dr. Andreas Kosmider.
