Falling Walls is one of the largest networks integrating ambitious and forward-thinking minds from around the world, from the academic, non-governmental and business sectors. Its common denominator is the search for an answer to the question of which walls still have to fall in order to initiate positive changes – social, economic or technological.
Just like the concrete blocks of the Berlin Wall that crumbled on the night of November 9, 1989, ushering in a new era of freedom, today the Falling Walls Foundation works to unite those who set out to tear down new walls in science and society.
Every year in November, students, PhD students, scientists, start-up founders and innovators from around the world talk about the ideas that can demolish the walls. Previously, national qualifying rounds were organized in over 70 countries. The first conference was held on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2009. This year, the event will be held for the fourteenth time.
The initiator of the creation of the network is the Falling Walls Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Berlin. It is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Helmholtz Association, the Berlin Senate, as well as numerous recognized academic institutions, foundations, companies and NGOs.
We believe in the value of dialogue across borders, building alliances for a more open, peaceful and sustainable world to live in. That is why we enable scientists to share their knowledge with the widest possible audience. We face the greatest challenges of this planet. We stand for the freedom of thought and research, and for making groundbreaking ideas available to the public,
The Falling Walls Foundation benefits from the advice and support of members of the Board of Trustees, an international group of prominent science and policy leaders. The council is chaired by Jürgen Mlynek, former president of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
