Falling Walls

19/05/2026

🚀 Less Bureaucracy in Science and Research!
How can research and science administration become faster, smarter and more innovation-friendly?

From funding processes and reporting obligations to procurement, compliance and collaboration across institutions — researchers and administrators alike are calling for systems that enable innovation instead of slowing it down.

At the Creative Bureaucracy Festival on 11 June 2026 at Festsaal Kreuzberg in Berlin, public leaders, universities, ministries, innovators and practitioners from around the world will explore how to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy while strengthening impact, trust and delivery - not only in science, but across such topics healthcare, cities, migration, resilience and defense, leadership and personnel, and cooperation between federal, state and municipal governments.

💡 This year's programme addresses key challenges shaping public sector transformation — from federal cooperation and digital transformation to resilience and defence, artificial intelligence, migration, cities as innovation labs, leadership, youth participation and new forms of citizen engagement.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:
• 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗺, Member of the German Council of Economic Experts;
• 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝗳𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵ü𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹, former Federal Chancellor of Austria;
• 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗼𝘂, Rapporteur-General on Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and former Prime Minister of Greece;
• 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲, CEO of the City of Sydney; and
• 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗿, Mayor of Tübingen
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝘄𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻, Managing Director, PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand;
• 𝗗𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿é 𝗚ö𝗯𝗲𝗹, President of FITKO;
• 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗸 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮, Chief Technology Officer, Bundesdruckerei;
• 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗶, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Table.Briefings and incoming first female Publisher of the FAZ; and
• 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘇 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘁, Publisher of Tagesspiegel.

𝗜𝗻 90 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 8 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀
✔ Research administration & funding reform
✔ Digitalisation & AI in public institutions
✔ Mission-driven governance
✔ Faster implementation & less red tape
✔ Creative leadership in complex systems

Find the full programme here: https://creativebureaucracy.org/programme
Meet like-minded people working on the future of public administration — from universities and research institutions to governments and innovation labs.

📍 Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
📅 11 June 2026
Door open: 8.00 h am CET; Programme Start: 9.00 h am CET
Get your ticket here: https://creativebureaucracy.org/tickets

ℹ️ The Creative Bureaucracy Festival is a project of the Falling Walls Foundation.

12/05/2026

ENGAGE ADVISORY BOARD 2026

With the Global Call having come to a close, now is the busy period where all the fantastic applications are reviewed! We are very proud to present this year’s Engage Advisory Board, who will play a key role in reviewing Science Engagement projects from around the globe and select the 15 Engage Finalists for 2026. All of them are key players in the Science Engagement communitzy and you can find out more about their work below.

From left to right:

Gabriela de la Torre García, General Director, PAUTA, MX
Simone Montano, Associate Professor, University of Milano-Bicocca, IT
Adenike Oladosu, Researcher and Founder, I Lead Climate Action Initiative, NG
Carl Öhman, Associate Professor, Uppsala University, SE

📸 Credit (from left to right): Falling Walls Foundation, Simone Montano, Oladosu Adenike Titilope, Mikael Wallerstedt

12/05/2026

The Global Call for Science Breakthroughs 2026 has wrapped, with 2,589 submissions from 1,896 institutions across 134 countries. The jury has their work cut out.

Over the coming months, we'll reveal the shortlists, the finalists, and finally – the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2026.

Be there when they take the stage in Berlin this November at the Falling Walls Science Summit.
Get your tickets now: https://falling-walls.com/science-summit/tickets-2026

22/04/2026

In honour of Earth Day, we want to spotlight the 2025 Engage Finalist project BioSmart Women Nepal, co-led by microbiologist Pooja Manandhar. The initiative promotes climate-smart agriculture by integrating biofertilizer production with organic waste and forest biomass management.

BioSmart Women Nepal actively engages women and young people, who are usually excluded from scientific and economic opportunities. Through hands-on training and mentorship, women have become earners, educators, and community leaders, actively influencing agricultural and climate policies.

Pooja’s message this Earth Day is clear: “Restore forests. Revive soil. Empower people.”

Check the link in the comments to watch Pooja’s pitch BioSmart Women Nepal at the Falling Walls Science Summit and to learn more about the project.

📷️ Falling Walls Foundation, Pooja Manandhar.

21/04/2026

What if the same power plant could generate electricity and act as a giant battery? Reverion built it. Stephan Herrmann and his team at Reverion built a reversible power plant that can generate electricity from gas or hydrogen – and take excess renewable energy and turn it back into green fuel. Learn more about it here: https://falling-walls.com/science-breakthroughs-success-stories-reverion

Stephan Herrmann brought Reverion to the Falling Walls Science Summit as a finalist of the Global Call (Science Start-ups category) – taking it from lab to stage. Know a start-up that’s turned science into a real business? Nominate them now: https://falling-walls.com/global-call

🗓️ Deadline for the Global Call: 30 April�

Questions about the application process? Join our Open Hour on 22 April and get answers directly from the team – registration link in the comments.

17/04/2026

Last year, marine scientist Colette Wabnitz took home the Women’s Impact Award for making the invisible visible – women in fisheries who’ve been left out of data, decisions, and policy.
👉Read more about her work in our latest interview : https://falling-walls.com/science-breakthroughs-success-stories-colette-wabnitz

Colette Wabnitz’s story is one of many that have reached the Falling Walls Science Summit through the Global Call — with more still waiting to be told. Good news: the deadline just got pushed. You now have until 30 April to nominate and apply across multiple categories, including the Women’s Impact Award: https://falling-walls.com/global-call

Not sure where to start? Join one of our Open Hours on 22 April to get direct assistance from our team. Registration link in the comments.

16/04/2026

With the Global Call deadline extended to 30 April, this is your final opportunity to get guidance before it closes. Whether you're nominating someone or applying yourself, join us for a live conversation with the Falling Walls team. We'll help you navigate eligibility, categories, and submissions for all eight categories.

Registration link in the comments.

14/04/2026

Breakthroughs don't rush, neither should you.

We've extended the Falling Walls Global Call 2026 deadline to 30 April – giving you room to breathe, rethink, and put your best work forward. This is your chance to be named a Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year and showcase your project at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

Nominate a leading researcher or apply with your own project now: https://falling-walls.com/global-call

Got questions? Join our Open Hour:
📅 22 April, 9–10am CET
📅 22 April, 5–6pm CET

Registration link in the comments.

09/04/2026

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 $𝟱 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻

Tubulis reached a definitive agreement with Gilead Sciences for the acquisition of their company for a total of $5 billion to merge their technologies in the field.

In the past years, Tubulis pushed the boundaries of ADC design to deliver the full potential of the modality to more patients. They will now continue to operate as a dedicated ADC organisation within Gilead, with their Munich site serving as a hub for ADC innovation, building on its integrated discovery, manufacturing and clinical capabilities to advance next‑generation antibody‑drug conjugates.

We congratulate Dominik Schuhmacher and the whole Tubulis team to this incredible milestone and are proud to have had Dominik on stage as a finalist at our pitch competition Falling Walls Venture in 2022! Read more about Dominik's experience in our recent interview: https://falling-walls.com/science-breakthroughs-success-story-tubulis

The Global Call for Science Breakthroughs is still open. Get your startup nominated and join the successful legacy of Tubulis and other Falling Walls Venture alumni! (link in comments)

01/04/2026

Falling Walls Engage has partnered with Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants for a special live broadcast featuring Nondas Ferreira da Silva, Science Breakthrough of the Year 2025 in Science Engagement.

Hosted by Jesse Hildebrand (Engage Finalist 2025), the 45-minute session spotlighted Nondas’ work with Instituto New Era, a youth-led organization advancing community-based ecosystem restoration in Brazil’s Cerrado while centering Indigenous and traditional knowledge in climate solutions.
If this inspires you, consider taking the next step.

Applications for the Global Call 2026 in Science Engagement are now open. We are looking for initiatives that actively engage the public with science and address climate or sustainability challenges.

Apply by April 15: ➡️ https://falling-walls.com/about-summit/science-summit/falling-walls-engage

Link Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/jMqShZpKchA?si=hu3dFssltlHeBUnl

Nondas Silva is a Brazilian social and environmental entrepreneur from the Cerrado region of Northern Minas Gerais. He is the founder and president of Instit...