Join a Movement for Responsible and Participatory Research

Dear colleagues and friends,

What kind of future do we want to live in? And, perhaps more urgently, how can we create it together?

The world faces grand challenges such as climate change, global inequalities, and rapid digital transformation. These are wicked problems – complex, interconnected, and resistant to simple solutions. They call for research that is not only excellent but also value-driven, participatory, and deeply responsible.

That is the spirit of the Grand Challenges Conference of the Berlin University Alliance, and we invite you to be part of it. This is more than a conference: this is a space for bold thinking and boundary-crossing collaboration – across disciplines, sectors, and societies. It’s where research meets real-world impact. Where transdisciplinary practice becomes tangible. Where the exchange of perspectives sparks new ideas, and new pathways emerge – for action, for transformation, for a shared future.

Join a growing movement for research that matters: Research that engages with the world, not apart from it. That asks hard questions, embraces complexity, and works toward solutions that are both sustainable and just. Together, we will explore: How can we mobilize knowledge for the common good? How can we co-create fair and lasting change? How can research foster openness, resilience, and solidarity in society? Bring your curiosity, your creativity, your courage. Become part of a vibrant community shaping not only the future of research but the future we all share.

Prof. Dr. Petra Knaus
Vice-President of Freie Universität Berlin
Chair of the Grand Challenges Conference