Which are the next walls to fall? Falling Walls Conference: Conference on Future Breakthroughs in Science and Society with Prof. Yunus and German Chancellor Merkel on November 9, 2009 in Berlin
On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus will share his thoughts on how to overcome the wall of poverty with new economic concepts and joy / Chancellor Angela Merkel holds the keynote address, speaking about how to break the walls we are facing in the 21st Century / Over 20 acclaimed researchers from around the world present future breakthroughs
Berlin, October 21, 2009. On November 9, 2009, the 20th anniversary of the end of the iron curtain dividing East and West, the International Conference “Falling Walls“, organized by the Einstein Foundation, will take place in Berlin. Over 20 acclaimed researchers from around the world will seek answers to a key question: “Which are the next walls to fall in the Sciences and Humanities – and how will they affect our lives?” In short lectures of 15 minutes the participants will highlight the next breakthroughs in a wide variety of areas and describe the impact they are expected to have for our society.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives the keynote address to the Conference with a lecture entitled “Breaking the Walls of the 21st Century“. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus speaks about “Breaking the Wall of Poverty. How Social Business Allows a Sustainable and Joyful Future for Mankind”. His lecture is another highlight of the Falling Walls Conference Programm: List of Speakers 2009
Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his social reforms. He is the founder
of Grameen Bank, allowing micro-loans to people without income security in Bangladesh and is thus
making a major contribution to alleviating the poverty in the Bangladeshi population. Yunus is an
economics professor at the University of Chittagong.
All speakers featured at the Falling Walls Conference are distinguished researchers who work with
leading institutions such as: CERN, Charité, Collège de France, Duke University, ETH Zürich, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, Helmholtz Society, Iter, Max Planck Society, MIT, Princeton, University of Chicago. The Conference’s topics will cover among other fields: anthropology, chemistry, energy, nutrition, history, immunology, engineering, communications, mathematics, medicine, neuroscience, nuclear physics, paleontology, psychology, sociology and economics.
The Conference is expecting international participants from the academic world, government, business
and the arts. Distinguished guests coming from over 30 countries – Japan, Pakistan, Sudan, India and the
USA among them – have already confirmed their attendance. Ticket prices start at €150. Young
researchers may apply for funding to attend the conference.
The event will be held at the cultural center Radialsystem V in Berlin, previously used as a water pumping station, which is located on Berlin’s former death strip and was rebuilt after the wall came down. It is now one of the leading venues for new art and culture in Berlin, and it is just a few steps away from the East Side Gallery,
the longest piece of the Berlin Wall still standing.
The Falling Walls Conference is organised by the Einstein Foundation Berlin, a non-profit foundation that promotes scientific research. This event is made possible thanks to the State of Berlin and numerous academic institutions, government offices, foundations, and companies: List of Partners
Einstein Stiftung Berlin
Established by the state of Berlin in 2009, the Einstein Foundation Berlin promotes research excellence in Berlin. Its partners are the scientific institutions in Berlin, particularly the four universities: Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Universität der Künste as well as the four research groups Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft and
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. The goal is to enable excellent results in research and to increase the international visibility of the sciences in Berlin. Thus, the Einstein Foundation Berlin makes a major contribution towards raising Berlin’s profile as an attractive site for science and research with an international reach.
Press contact
Karin von Hülsen
Einstein Stiftung Berlin
Tel: +49 30 59 0053 211
Fax: +49 30 59 00 53 299
karin.huelsen@einsteinfoundation.de