Adlershof Journal May/June 2025
Sharing differences: Why diversity is our superpower:
ESSAY by Elina Penner: How well do you know those around you? IN CONVERSATION WITH Ana Anselmo and Silvia Zerbe, who shape diversity at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin PORTRAIT The start-up manager: Maxine Silvestrov…
Diversity: More than a buzzword
The late mastermind of Apple, Steve Jobs, was not only a successful entrepreneur but also a huge Beatles fan. One quote of his goes: “They were four guys who kept each other's negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business. Great things in business are never done by one person; they're done by a team of people. “With more diversity, do more great things get done? Studies show that heterogeneous teams are more successful—provided there is the right leadership to foster each individual’s creative potential while providing a clear direction. We asked around and learned from a diversity officer tandem made up of Ana Anselmo and Silvia Zerbe how diversity is successfully practised in the everyday life of a large research institution like Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
When you think of diversity, you might picture people from different cultural backgrounds or generational differences first. In this edition of Journal, we also want to highlight other dimensions of diversity—such as gender, disabilities, or social background. Women are frequently overlooked in certain areas of life. The effects of this are often more than a mere inconvenience. They can be life-threatening, especially when it comes to issues like mobility or health. Want to learn more? I recommend reading our features “Please mind the gap” and “Women, leadership & menopause”.
People who have experienced discrimination will confirm that a prejudice-free culture is not simply nice to have. Knowledge fosters sensitivity. If you want to tear down the barriers in your own thinking, learn sign language, or discover what neurodiversity means, you’re invited to visit one of the workshops and master classes of our Diversity Conference.
Sincerely,
Peggy Mory
Editor-in-chief
Articles
How well do you know those around you?
Essay by Elina Penner, author and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Hauptstadtmutti:
“How was your holiday?” my colleague asks cheerfully. We get along well, and I’m sure she genuinely hopes I had a relaxing break. Then she asks me: “Where did you fly off to?” First day back at school. The teacher…
In conversation with Ana Anselmo and Silvia Zerbe
As diversity officers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, they shape diversity:
When 1,400 employees from 70 nations come together at a globally operating research institution like Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), diversity may seem like a given. And yet, considerable…
The start-up manager
Maxine Silvestrov manages operations at Quantune Technologies:
Measuring biomarkers without having to insert a needle into a vein and without drawing even a millilitre of blood to send to a lab. Easy, clean, and painless—and useable at any given time. This is a scientific vision…
Diversity wins
Berlin is recognised as an outstanding international technology hub. How to maintain this reputation, openness and diversity?:
Berlin is recognised as an outstanding international technology hub, particularly Adlershof. But that reputation is at risk if the political and social climate continues to move away from openness and diversity. After…
Space for the social question
Housing is many things at once: A basic need, a home for people, a means of investment, an asset—and a driver of generational (in)justice, says cultural and social geographer Ilse Helbrecht:
With the federal debt package being passed in the Bundestag, there is much public debate about its effects. “However, topics like refugee accommodation, homelessness, and the lack of social housing barely register,”…
Please mind the gap
Three DLR researchers highlight gender-specific knowledge gaps that prevent the surveying of women’s needs in cars, busses, and trains:
Globally, Germany ranks in the top ten percent for gender equality—but persistent gaps remain. The gender pay gap is the most well-known example. The fact that transport systems are still largely designed by and for…
Rootedness and diversity
Raúl Comesaña Macias heads the BBF Group, a family-run enterprise comprising medium-sized construction companies based in Adlershof:
Popular short videos on social media often link business success with strict morning routines. Benjamin Franklin, the man on the hundred-dollar bill, was famous for keeping meticulous records of his daily schedule and…
Women, leadership & menopause
Hot flushes at the office:
“She’s probably on her period.” Though usually whispered behind closed doors, most people have probably heard this disparaging remark being uttered. It’s emblematic of how female biology is often treated, not only but…
News in short
Dissertation Award Adlershof
Three nominees. Three lectures. Whoever best presents their subject receives the Adlershof Dissertation Award and a prize money of 3,000 euros. On Thursday, 20 March 2025, Kristin Klaue came out on top with her research work on the “magic bullet”, developing photoswitchable molecules that are activated by infrared light for application in targeted, light-based medicine. She received her PhD from the Centre for the Science of Materials Berlin. Two other outstanding researchers presented their findings in the final round: Beñat Alberdi Esuain was able to make innovative advances in electron optics and beam dynamics, while Jinzhao Li’s dissertation dealt with ink development and scalable fabrication of perovskite solar. Since 2002, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, WISTA Management GmbH, and IGAFA – Joint Initiative of Non-University Research Institutes in Adlershof have been giving out the annual Adlershof Dissertation Award, which honours outstanding scientific achievements by young researchers in dissertations completed in Adlershof.
Annual press conference Adlershof: Trusting in one’s strengths creates optimism
On 11 April 2025, Adlershof Technology Park published recent figures from the annual survey of the site. For the first time, the on-site companies generated more than 4 billion euros in revenues and have an optimistic outlook due to “focusing on their own strengths and those of the site”. The number of employees grew by 1,100 to around 29,100 persons. At 6,300, the number of students decreased slightly. The Adlershof-based facilities of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) received a total of 43 million euros in subsidies and third-party funding, with core funding at 67 million euros. The non-university research institutes reported total budgetary funds of 251 million euros and registered third-party funding of 81 million euro.
25th Long Night of Science: Anniversary on 28 June 2025
Berlin’s smartest night is celebrating its birthday! For its 25th anniversary, the Long Night will once more offer a diverse programme at many different Adlershof-based research facilities. All across the Technology Park, labs will open their doors, offering hands-on experiment stations and glimpses into fascinating insights from the world of science and research. WISTA will host a science slam to conclude the event in cooperation with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. There’s another birthday present for all the visitors of the Long Night: Tickets this year are only five euros per person.
For more information, see:
www.adlershof.de/en/lndw
Construction begins on BAM research campus
At Groß-Berliner Damm, construction has begun on a modern research campus for the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) using Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Together with their partners, the Institute for Federal Real Estate and the Federal Building Authority Baden-Württemberg are developing state-of-the-art laboratories, workshops, and office spaces for eleven BAM departments. Named GBD 149 after its location, the campus will provide BAM employees with excellent research conditions. The building is scheduled to be handed over in 2029.
2.8 million euros for climate adaptation at the Technology Park Adlershof
On 17 March 2025, the Technology Park Adlershof officially launched two research projects focused on climate adaptation in the high-tech quarter. This endeavour comprises the projects Transformation to a Climate-Resilient Technology Quarter (TransformResQ) and Resilient Energy System for Technology Districts (ResQ-Energy) and will receive a combined 2.8 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The goal is to develop a Master Plan for a Climate-Resilient Technology Quarter by the end of 2027. The measures developed will likely be implemented starting in 2028 during the next project phase. As the operating company of the Adlershof Technology Park, WISTA Management GmbH will lead the overall project. Partners include Technische Universität Berlin, Hochschule Neubrandenburg, Reiner-Lemoine-Institut, and BTB Blockheizkraftwerks-, Träger- und Betreibergesellschaft mbH Berlin.
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