BR50 strengthens cooperation

With the founding of an association, Berlin Research 50 became a legal entity in its own right and can thus support the member institutions even better in networking with each other and with other scientific actors in Berlin, also as a representative for the interests of non-university institutions. The declared goal remains to further develop and strengthen the Berlin research area. For the official founding of the association, representatives of the institutions gathered at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB- Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung Berlin) on October 4, 2022. Following the founding, the association now comprises 27 research and science institutions, including Leibniz and Max Planck Institutes, Helmholtz Centers and research institutions of the federal government. Other non-university institutions in Berlin are connected with the association as network partners.

All disciplines represented

A five-member board was also elected, comprising the scientific directors Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D. (Social Science Research Center Berlin), Prof. Dr. Michael Hintermüller (Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing), Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer (Max Delbrück Center), and the administrative head Prof. Dr. Heike Graßmann (Max Delbrück Center).

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne explains the founding of the association: "An idea has become a network that plays a central role in strengthening Berlin's research landscape. As BR50, we are not only working together to achieve research policy goals, we are also pooling our expertise to more quickly develop solutions to current societal challenges - from climate change to digitization. I look forward to advance our research together with the BR50 members."“

Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D. adds, "BR50 has established itself as an important networking platform. It creates transparency, pools resources and is the point of contact for universities, the Berlin University Alliance, other scientific connections and stakeholders from politics, society and business. We will maintain this drive and use it for future work. Some points from the BR50 position paper have already been successfully initiated: framework conditions for joint appointments have been improved, strategies have been developed to bring outstanding researchers to Berlin, and Berlin has also been positioned as a founding capital. All of these tasks, including improving the situation of young researchers, must be pursued with verve."

At BR50, we build bridges to make our insights and way of workingmethods understandable and accessible.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer says: "Science does not operate in isolation from the rest of society. At BR50, we build bridges to make our findings and our methods understandable and accessible to as many people as possible. After all, Berlin's future will also be determined by how strong the city becomes as a research metropolis. To achieve this, we need the support and trust of citizens, politicians and the industry. The debates on the Corona pandemic, climate change, or discussions about animal testing and alternative methods show how important trust in research is. In order to find good and socially accepted solutions, the views of as many people as possible must be included. BR50's collaboration with the Berlin University Alliance, policymakers and the industry are critical to this."

Prof. Dr. Michael Hintermüller adds: "BR50 actively promotes cross-disciplinary research, because the global challenges can only be overcome together. For example, BR50 has already organized workshops on important topics for the future, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and technological sovereignty. The institutional foundation of an association will help us to perpetuate such activities in the future. The diversity of science in Berlin is our strength, and we need to promote it. BR50 is the right platform for this at the right time."

Prof. Dr. Heike Graßmann explains: "Looking back on the past two years, BR50 has already accomplished a great deal even without being a legal entity in its own right. With the founding of the association, however, BR50's legitimacy is now strengthened, both internally and externally. This is also important for scientific and administrative cooperation, because now, for instance, research funding can be applied for jointly and synergies can be created, for example, with regard to the digitization of administration."

As a non-profit association, BR50 now has 27 members. In addition, more than 20 associated research institutions are part of the BR50 network and collaborate with the association. A number of them intend to join the association as members.

Contacts

Dr. Anja Sommerfeld
Berlin Research 50 (BR50)
Berlin-Adlershof Office
Research Association Berlin e.V.
Rudower Chaussee 17, 12489 Berlin
Phone: (030) 6392 3301
E-Mail: sommerfeld@fv-berlin.de

Jutta Kramm
Head of Communications
Max Delbrück Center
Robert-Rössle-Straße 10
13125 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 9406-2140
jutta.kramm@mdc-berlin.de oder presse@mdc-berlin.de