Falling Walls Foundation

What kind of future do you want to live in? Now’s your chance to shape it. Join the global conversation and share your vision for what comes next. Share your vision here: https://lnkd.in/dQ9rXeBX Here’s how it works: Choose a topic Submit your idea Rate and explore others’ visions Your contribution could win you a free ticket to the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, where the world’s brightest minds meet to shape tomorrow. Only submissions with an email will be entered to the raffle. See you in Berlin!

Time to Act – For Greater Competitiveness in Germany and Europe    Six months into Germany’s new government, the Gipfel für Forschung und Innovation (Summit for Research and Innovation) brings together leaders from politics, science, and business to debate Europe’s future competitiveness.    Key questions on the agenda:  How can Europe safeguard its global competitiveness? How do we translate cutting-edge research into sustainable innovation? What role must cooperation and security play in driving progress?    Confirmed speakers include:    Dorothee Bär, Minister of Research, Technology and Space, Germany (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) Tanja Brühl, President, Technische Universität Darmstadt  Holger Hanselka, President, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft  Sabine Klauke, Executive Committee Member, Airbus  Maria Leptin, President, European Research Council (ERC)  Thomas Mason, Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, US  Nils Schmid, Parliamentary Secretary, Federal Ministry of Defence, Germany  Wolfgang Prof Wick, Chairman and Managing Director, Wissenschaftsrat    7 November 2025 | Falling Walls Science Summit, Berlin  Full programme: https://lnkd.in/d_StwFBH The Summit for Research and Innovation is part of the Falling Walls Science Summit. It was initiated by the Stifterverband, Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina, VolkswagenStiftung and EFI - Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation.

Katalin Karikó, professor at the University of Szeged, Hungary, and former Vice President at BioNTech SE, transformed medicine by stabilising mRNA for therapeutic use — a breakthrough that made rapid COVID-19 vaccines possible and is now powering the future of personalised medicine. Her decades-long research on RNA mechanisms and modified mRNA earned her the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Meet Katalin Karikó at the #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit25 in Berlin on 9 November and discover how her research on mRNA technologies is reshaping the future of medicine. Join Visionaries Shaping the Future: https://lnkd.in/eN_pXECS Falling Walls Science Summit 6–9 November Berlin & Digital

Where will you be on 8 November? Join global scientific leaders at the forefront of critical dialogue! Today, we tease some events at the #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit25, supported by the Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung).  These sessions bring together experts to address critical issues at the intersection of science, society, and policy: Academia under Attack: Action against Antidemocratic Threats
Explore the defence of academic freedom with confirmed speakers Anna-Sara Lind (Uppsala University) and Jens Martin Gurr (University of Duisburg-Essen), with additional leading voices to be revealed.   https://lnkd.in/dpsBY8SY
 Technology Foresight: Shaping Tomorrow's Innovations
 Join Georg Schütte (Volkswagen Foundation) and Joël Mesot (ETH Zürich), alongside other pioneering experts to examine how anticipatory thinking drives resilient innovation.
   https://lnkd.in/dijqgrTd  AI Age & Trust: Ethics and Perspectives for SciComm
Navigate the future of science communication with Prof. Dagmar M. Schuller (audEERING GmbH), David Caswell (StoryFlow), Alice Henchley (Springer Nature), Volker Stollorz (Science Media Centre). https://lnkd.in/dmDa7hD7    Beyond these sessions, the Volkswagen Foundation, together with the Elsevier Foundation, also supports the Women’s Impact Award — celebrating scientists whose groundbreaking research advances gender equity and drives societal change for women and girls. Be part of the celebrations at the Women’s Impact Award Ceremony on 6 November, and return on 9 November to hear Angela Goncalves, Science Breakthrough of the Year 2025 in the Women’s Impact Award category, present her project: Breaking the Wall of Healthy Aging in Women — advancing non-invasive tools for early detection, personalized care, and healthier aging.  https://lnkd.in/dH58dPVs   Join Visionaries Shaping the Future:   Falling Walls  Science Summit       6–9 November      Berlin & Digital   

Together with Visionaries Tomorrow, we’re hosting the Spinning Science into Impact Breakfast during this year's Falling Walls #ScienceSummit25. The invite-only breakfast brings together a curated group of deep tech founders and ecosystem partners who are turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world industrial solutions. 🧬 Founders and select ecosystem partners working at the intersection of science and industry can apply for an invitation below: 👉 https://luma.com/hofxmetj

Angela Goncalves — Science Breakthrough of the year in the Women’s Impact Award category — is breaking the wall of healthy aging in women by mapping the female reproductive tract across the lifespan. Using AI, single-cell genomics, and non-invasive menstrual fluid sampling, her research reveals how reproductive cycles influence healthy ageing and the early onset of diseases such as endometriosis and ovarian cancer. By combining molecular biology with clinical insight, Ângela Gonçalves is creating personalised diagnostic tools and predictive models that empower women with better care, earlier detection, and healthier ageing. Be there for Ângela Gonçalves’ talk at the #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit25 in Berlin on 9 November and discover how cutting-edge science is reshaping women’s health. Join Visionaries Shaping the Future: https://lnkd.in/eN_pXECS Falling Walls Science Summit 6–9 November Berlin & Digital

Can’t make it to Berlin? Catch the Falling Walls Science Summit 2025 live from anywhere. Leading scientists, innovators, and emerging talents will share breakthrough ideas that could shape the future. 🔗 Register for the free live access: https://lnkd.in/dpPNANUN

“Medicine needs to work towards a focus on health, and not pathology.” What do you think? How certain — and how desirable — does this future sound? Have your say in the Futures Canvas and help shape the future of medicine: https://lnkd.in/dH-NiQt8 🎟️ Bonus: Leave your email when you submit your answer for a chance to win a ticket to the Falling Walls Science Summit!

Can we map every cell in the human body? At the #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit25, Stephen Quake will reveal how the Human Cell Atlas project is transforming our understanding of health and disease. By leading a global network of scientists to chart every cell type in the human body, Stephen Quake, D.Phil. is building the blueprint for the next era of precision medicine — one that could revolutionise how we diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. Mark your calendars for Stephen Quake’s talk on 9 November, and discover how mapping the human body at single-cell resolution is transforming the future of medicine. Join Visionaries Shaping the Future: https://lnkd.in/eN_pXECS Falling Walls Science Summit 6–9 November Berlin & Digital

Over the past weeks, you’ve been imagining futures—from sustainable AI to life’s origins—on our interactive Future Canvas. If you've not submitted your idea yet, don't worry—there's still time to take part: https://lnkd.in/dQ9rXeBX Select a Future Canvas, submit your details and idea, and rate other opinions! We'll be giving away free tickets for the Falling Wall Science Summit, so get involved now for your chance to join us in Berlin. 👉 Only submissions with an email will be entered to win a spot at the Science Summit.