Start of the Science Year 2026
The German Minister of Research Dorothee Bär announced that the initiative would focus on innovative health research.
Berlin (dd.de) – The German Minister of Research Dorothee Bär announced the start of the Science Year 2026 that is dedicated to the theme Medicine of the Future. At an event at the Futurium that marked the start of the nationwide initiative, Ms Bär said that research was the basis of preventive medicine, good medical practice and a high-quality healthcare system.
The focus of the Science Year initiative is on new medical approaches ranging from prevention through to nursing, as well as on the use of artificial intelligence and biotechnology. The goal was to diagnose illnesses sooner and to develop new forms of treatment, Ms Bär said. She also stressed the importance of gender-sensitive health research, pointing out that there were still significant knowledge gaps regarding the different ways in which illnesses affect women and men.
The Science Years are a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the Wissenschaft im Dialog (“Science in Dialogue”) organisation. The initiative started in 2000 and is considered a key science communication instrument of the ministry.
Research institutes, higher education institutions, associations, companies and foundations are all involved in the Science Year 2026. Planning provides for up to 1,000 activities, according to the ministry, including a university competition, education formats for schools and a touring exhibition, as well as the MS Wissenschaft exhibition ship visiting numerous German cities between May and September.
