Statement of BR50 coordinators concerning the resignation of Prof. Sabine Kunst as president of the HU

Regretfully we took note of the resignation of Sabine Kunst. She is an excellent science manager that demonstrated strategic skills and vision not only for the HU, but as well as for the BUA and the collaboration with the non-university research institutions in Berlin.

Therefore, it is even more important that Berlin’s scientific actors collectively face the upcoming challenges. The research environment Berlin lives from the interplay between the universities and the non-university institutions. Our mutual appreciation as cooperating partners is enormous and our collaboration is of fundamental importance for cutting-edge research in Berlin and for the success in the Excellence Strategy.

At the moment, Berlin is seeking a new course: BR50 is ready to work together with BUA and the responsible political players during the upcoming weeks to identify new strategies and paths to make Berlin attractive for junior researchers, as well as to develop Berlin towards a science area that guaranties enduring success and excellence for all parties and institutions. To achieve this, non-university institutions are ready to contribute.

Contact:
coordinators[at]br50[dot]org

BR50 position paper published
Build up Berlin towards a worldwide leading research metropolis

The non-university research institutions in BR50, submit a 10-point-catalog as position paper on science policy that was developed during a general assembly on September 9^th. The position paper contains 10 demands toward the future senate that should be implemented to strengthen Berlin as science metropolis. The Berlin Senate has been committed to the interests of science and research in the capital in recent years, the paper states. This commitment should be continued and expanded. The course for this should now be set.

The position paper was published in an short version as well as in a detailed version in German and together with a press release.

Contact:
coordinators[at]br50[dot]org

Second BR50 Office established in Berlin Adlershof

Since the BR50 Office at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) in Berlin Mitte was set up by Gregor Hofmann, Anja Sommerfeld established the second BR50 Office located at the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB) in Berlin Adlershof. Anja Sommerfeld studied meteorology and has a PhD in climate physics. After receiving the PhD degree, she worked as scientific project manager at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research and managed a large-scale project about Arctic science.

Both BR50 Offices function as dialogue platform for the non-university research institutions and as contact point for politics, the universities and for the society. Furthermore, the BR50 Offices support the BR50 coordinators and the BR50 interest groups.

Contact:

Dr. Anja Sommerfeld
BR50 Office at the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. in Adlershof
030 6392-3301
sommerfeld[at]fv-berlin[dot]de

Work starts at BR50 Office

BR50 sees itself as a network that facilitates coordination between non-university research institutions; that provides a central point of contact for the Berlin Senate Administration, Berlin’s universities and other actors in society and politics; and that promotes international networking in the Brain City Berlin.

And yet cooperation necessitates coordination. Gregor Hofmann recently took up his position as one of two officers of the BR50 Office. Gregor Hofmann, who has a PhD in Political Science, was previously engaged as Advisor to the Executive Director of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF). Based at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), his future role will involve representing the BR50 branch in Berlin-Mitte and supporting the BR50 Coordinators and BR50 Interest Groups in their work. A second position at the BR50 Office located at the Forschungsverbund Berlin in Adlershof will start work shortly.

Berlin Research 50
Berlin Research 50, or BR50 for short, was established around a year ago, on February 18, 2020. The joint initiative now includes virtually all non-university institutes and centers in the Berlin metropolitan area, including institutes from major scientific organizations such as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Association, the Leibniz Association and the Max Planck Society, as well as the federal government research institutes and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The two offices are funded by the State of Berlin.

Contact
If you have any questions or suggestions, simply contact the BR50 Office: Dr. Gregor Hofmann, BR50 Branch in Berlin-Mitte, gregor.hofmann[at]wzb[dot]eu

BR50 at Berlin Science Week
How much working from home can research take?
Using the crisis creatively: researchers will discuss pros and cons of new working styles triggerd by Corona. A panel discussion as part of the Berlin Science Week.

The pandemic has been an exceptional situation for everyone. All but essential laboratory activities were temporarily suspended, a number of childcare centers and schools had to close, and lots of work was – and is still being – done remotely at home. But how much social distancing can science – which requires constant discussion and exchange – take?  The founding coordinators of BR 50, an association of Berlin non-university research institutions, are hosting an event to examine this issue and explore questions such as: What has worked well and what would be done differently? What do researchers want to preserve for the future? What conditions are problematic for young researchers in particular?

THE PANELISTS

From the member institutes:

• Dr. Theresa Entringer, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW)
• Felix Fehlhaber, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK
• Dr. med. Dr. phil. Eva Friedel, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH)
• Dr. Edda Schulz, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG)

BR50 founding coordinators:

• Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D., Berlin Social Science Center (WZB)
• Prof. Dr. Michael Hintermüller, Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), Leibniz Institute in Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.
• Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC)

Moderation:
Christopher Scheffelmeier

BR50 founded

On February 18, 2020, representatives of the non-university research institutions met in the Max Liebermann Haus at the Brandenburg Gate to found BR50 together. Photos: Katja Bilo/FVB