Tackling Grand Challenges: The future will be good
Our mission for the Adlershof Science City was initially to create jobs. We have fulfilled this mission. Today, more than 35,000 people work and study in Germany’s most modern technology park. And Adlershof has built up an excellent international reputation over the past three decades.
The task now is to make creative contributions to mastering the major global technological challenges together with the people who work here and by making full use of the excellent infrastructure culture. We would like to join the goal of Berlin's three major universities and the Charité, which have set out to “jointly shape Berlin as an integrated research space that is particularly dedicated to addressing global challenges – Grand Challenges”.
To this end, we want to create a network for researchers and companies to cooperate on an interdisciplinary basis. The development and use of new materials and technologies will be crucial to solving such challenges, which include climate change in particular.
Our response to the global challenges
Adlershof is a strong location. But how will the campus develop further?
The five main questions are:
- What are the goals?
- How does Adlershof see itself as part of the Science City Berlin?
- What is the significance of ‘Grand Challenges’?
- How can the coordination of science and politics be improved?
- How to deal with the space?
WISTA Management GmbH, as the operating company of the technology park, sets clear thematic priorities. It remains important for the further successful positioning to attract future-oriented companies that focus on the major societal challenges, the “Grand Challenges”, such as sustainability, climate protection and energy.
A new interdisciplinary competence center for “Grand Challenges”, complementing the existing technology centers, should help in this and also promote internationalization, because the big questions of the future can only be answered with global cooperation. Increased support for start-ups is also an integral part of this strategy for the future.
The Adlershof Mission “Grand Challenges” has begun. Join us!
Focus Topics
Grand Challenges that we are tackling in Adlershof:
>>Climate Protection and Energy
Climate protection requires an international energy turnaround for an efficient and resilient energy system.
The use of ICT infrastructures and digitization tools will be crucial for this.
>>Circular Materials Management
Resource scarcity and environmental consequential damage make intelligent circular economy a requirement of sustainable economics.
>>5G and Digital Infrastructure
We want to turn the Adlershof Technology Park into a real-world laboratory for digitalization. The digital networking in the Technology Park is already unique within a radius of almost 1,000 kilometers.
Grand Challenges: What's going on in Adlershof...?
Articles
ASCEND – A New Era in Catalysis
Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär launches €30 million project in Berlin:
On 11 June 2026, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Adlershof hosted the launch of ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The event took place in the…
Humboldt-Universität and quantumReality extend their research collaboration in electrochemistry
Successful Research Collaboration Enters the Next Phase: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Potsdam-based Science VC quantumReality Extend Cooperation to Develop Digital Twins for Electrolysis Plants by Two Years with…
Magnetic field during catalyst synthesis triples ammonia yield
Team at HZB demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production:
Applying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄ electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin…
Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysis
Emerging developments in operando analytics, data-driven discovery and autonomous robotics are transforming synthesis into the central tool for the targeted development of smart and adaptive electrocatalysts:
The synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics.…
Strategic research agenda for safe advanced materials published
Germany's federal agencies responsible for human and environmental safety present research needs from a regulatory perspective:
Advanced materials hold the potential to address global and societal challenges in e.g. health care, energy transition and substituting substances of concern or critical raw materials. However, to fully exploit…
Events
Rudower Chaussee 26, 12489 Berlin
Erwin-Schrödinger-Zentrum
Rudower Chaussee 26, 12489 Berlin
Erwin-Schrödinger-Zentrum
Volmerstraße 2, 12489 Berlin
WISTA Event Center, Bunsen-Saal