News
Five Berlin-based research institutions join forces in data-driven materials research
Long-term collaboration agreed in the fields of research data, data infrastructures and AI:
Research data is regarded as key to materials research in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Five Berlin-based research institutions have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish long-term…
DFG continues to fund the HU project consortium FAIRmat until the end of 2038
In the new funding period, FAIRmat is placing greater emphasis on AI for data-driven science:
FAIRmat is a consortium for data infrastructure in the materials sciences, which has been coordinated by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) since its foundation in 2021. It forms part of the National Research Data…
Autonomous rail transport: between optimism and scepticism
At the DLR Transport Research Institute, the acceptance conditions for automated rail transport were investigated:
In future, autonomous vehicles could be used for both local and long-distance transport. The Acceptance GoA3+ project, which investigated the attitudes of passengers and staff towards this, has now been…
FAIRmat Wins European Digital Skills Award
The consortium for research data infrastructure in materials science, coordinated by Humboldt-Universität, has been recognized by the European Commission:
As research becomes increasingly data-driven, it is more important than ever to organize scientific data in ways that allow researchers, software tools, and artificial intelligence systems to use them effectively. The…
BAM takes a key role in major European research project
The EU project MaterialsCommons is establishing a networked data and AI infrastructure for materials research:
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is taking on a central role in the major European project “MaterialsCommons”, which kicked off in June. Coordinated by Fraunhofer IWM, 26 research…
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…
‘Premium dubbing will soon be a thing’
TV+Synchron managing director Jenny Buch on the future of the industry:
Earlier this year, Netflix made headlines in the dubbing industry with an AI clause, leading voice actors to go on strike and boycott assignments for the US streaming giant. What does this mean for the industry’s big…
Catalysis App – Structured Research Data for Developing Sustainable Catalysts
The platform enables reliable data sharing and provides a strong foundation for artificial-intelligence-driven analysis:
Catalysis − the reduction of activation energy in a chemical reaction by a catalyst − plays a key role in the chemical industry, as well as in the development of sustainable technologies essential for achieving a…
Kick-off for the new data and AI centre at HZB in Adlershof
The data centre will provide a competitive infrastructure for data-driven research in Berlin:
By establishing a new data and AI centre in Berlin, the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are laying the foundations for a scalable and sovereign data infrastructure in the capital.…
Digitization of semiconductor epitaxy for power electronics
Joint project “Epi-Techno-Digital” launched with the participation of IKZ, FBH and HU Berlin:
The BMFTR joint project “Digitization for semiconductor epitaxy layers with large band gaps for power electronics” was officially launched with a kick-off meeting hosted by the project coordinator AIXTRON SE in…
Adlershof Innovation Booster
Thanks to AI, new technologies are emerging on campus that are driving scientific excellence and strengthening technological autonomy:
Artificial intelligence is accelerating research and driving innovation cycles. In Adlershof, this is giving rise to new technologies that not only advance scientific excellence but also strengthen the technological…
Chatbots at work: Between curiosity and responsibility
How Adlershof companies integrate artificial intelligence into their daily work:
When ChatGPT became publicly available at the end of 2022, people were curious. Many people first experimented with the new chatbot at home. Writing. Asking questions. Using it as a thinking aid. Many quickly…
Efficient training
Alan Akbik, professor of machine learning at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, is working on smarter approaches to language models:
ChatGPT requires vast amounts of data and costs a lot of money. Alan Akbik, professor of machine learning at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, is exploring smarter solutions. No AI was used to generate this essay on the…
In conversation with Jens Nachtwei
The psychologist researches and teaches on the changing world of work and human–machine interaction:
“A humane future does not lie in more technology, but in greater human judgement in how we use it,” says engineer and organisational psychologist Jens Nachtwei in his book Zukunft der ARBEIT an der Zukunft, which…
“Berlin is strong where trust matters”
A conversation with Philipp Günther about the new AI competence centre ai.berlin hub:
Philipp Günther is an innovation manager at Berlin Partner for Business and Technology. What is the strategic mission of the new ai.berlin hub—and what sets it apart from other AI initiatives? The idea emerged from…
DLR is getting a new large-scale research facility for the mobility transition
Multisensory experience mozu is under construction:
Mobility plays a significant role in our daily lives and in society. Conventional visualisation is often not sufficient to understand the complex interactions of urban mobility. With mozu, the German Aerospace Center…
Sasol and HZB deepen collaboration with strategic focus on digitalisation
“A significant step towards achieving more sustainable and efficient chemical processes on an industrial scale”:
Sasol Research & Technology and Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are expanding their partnership into the realm of digitalisation, building on their joint efforts in the CARE-O-SENE project and an Industrial Fellowship…
Is my child gifted?
From Excel spreadsheets to high-performance sports – how performance diagnostics is changing the way talent is managed:
When Daniel Heidrich’s son was scouted by 1. FC Union Berlin for their youth academy, one key question kept coming up—one for which there were surprisingly few solid answers: Is my child really athletically gifted? As…
New department at HZB: ‘AI and Biomolecular Structures’
Andrea Thorn, head of the department, brings many years of experience in AI-based tools for structural biology:
Since 1 July 2025, Dr. Andrea Thorn has been setting up the new AI and Biomolecular Structures department at HZB. A biophysicist with many years of experience in AI-based tools for structural biology, she is looking…