Johannes Vogel’s vision for Berlin 2030: “A day a week for our democracy”

The world needs a science that not only unfolds in the rule of law, but also actively contributes to our democracy at least one day of the week and creates solutions with society. In the middle of Berlin, all the prerequisites are that this long overdue evolution can succeed.

Over 200 years ago, Wilhelm von Humboldt created the modern university in Berlin: teaching and research were brought together. As an infrastructure, this new university type, today the Humboldt University in Berlin, received collections as a morning gift. The foundations of an unprecedented success story “Made in Berlin” were laid. To date, this type of university forms elites worldwide. But is that enough given the challenges?

“Problems can never be solved with the same way of thinking through which they were created,” Albert Einstein already knew. Rather, the necessary deep change must be taken as an opportunity. An often summoned continues to slow death, suffocates science and a lively democracy.

We know that science that we have to change ourselves. We have to reinvent ourselves as a relevant, in and with society researching, listening-reflective and still excellent science in Berlin.

A day a week for our rule of law democracy

And what does it look like? The process of science and understanding science as a process is the focus of the new coexistence of society and science. It is no longer the proclamation of new knowledge as a happy messages (science communication), but integration, participate, listen, find solutions together (public engagement).

Like excellent research, “Up-Stream Public Engagement”, co-creation, co-production or citizen sciences are recognized as “serious” scientific work in 2030. About 20 percent of the workforce and 20 percent of all resources – mind you of an institute (and the entire science system), are not used by every researcher. If you want, you can – without damage to your own career! – commit to participation or political advice.

Together with various actors from society, business and politics, at least one day of the week is working on deep and respectful exchange, which is a lot of fun. Listening and united, they develop concrete ways for a good and solidary future in our country and they also formulate new questions for science, which it would often not have come to.

The joint work not only promotes science and cooperation across society. The joint projects also strengthen social bonds on site. They create trust, make science “tangible” and relevant, they promote the self -confidence of every person to use their common sense in conversation with others – and to stay curious about other perspectives.

Of course, for me, the largest global prosperity and economic factor, nature is by far. A functioning nature provides us with air, clean drinking water, healthy soils for healthy food, clothing and medication.

The current destructive economy endangers these vital necessities of all people. That is why standing for nature also means combining people, promoting communities and together together a healthy, good, fair life.

With the future plan, the Museum of Natural History is an innovation engine and experimentation field

Getting the natural foundations of our life on this planet is somewhat deeply conservative. For this we have to get started here and now. What is often missing is not necessarily the political will, they are the political majorities. We want to participate in this, the Berlin Natural History Museum as a collection -based research museum. To do this, we change as a science organization and let society participate in our evolution, indeed.

Already today, the Natural History Museum is always an experiment field for a future that is designed according to democratic rules of the game. The museum on Invalidenstrasse is located in the middle of a large weight room of science, culture, business and politics.

© Thomas Rosenthal

If you pull a circle around the museum with a diameter of two kilometers, the big issues of the present and the future such as health, security, nutrition, mobility, economy, energy, climate, nature, social global justice are strongly represented.

For this purpose, organizations such as the Federal Intelligence Service, Bayer, the Leibniz Community (to which the museum belongs), Misereor, Bread for the World, Amnesty International, the Ministry of Health, the renowned Life Science Campus of the Humboldt University, the Charité, the worldwide and also largest research hospital in Europe, well-known institutions, and Max Planck Society Education and Research Ministry, the Bundestag, the Chancellery, the Central Station, the Futurium, the Hamburg train station, SAP, the Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection or the Ministry of Digital and Transport.

We have a huge concentration of power, perspectives and knowledge here in the middle. A weight room for our democracy must be created here.

Perhaps comparable to the mall in Washington, where the ministries are on the one hand and the museums on the other. In Washington, these buildings were originally deliberately placed in such a way that culture and power are reflected.

In Berlin, this neighborhood happened by chance. But the most important difference to Washington is: in Berlin-Mitte there is already a respectful interaction between politics, culture and science. This is the chance to make an attractive location with international radiance – for our democracy and the nature wearing our civilization.

The Natural History Museum will act for this. With the help of the future plan financed by the Bundestag and the House of Representatives, we are now conceptively and structurally rebuilding the entire museum, which is already getting on in years.

In the large entrance hall, in which the dinosaurs are still located, space is created for a “parliament of nature”. Here, together with the most diverse actors, we want to go on a trip for a good future, want to develop and shape the future together, want to promote cooperation with people regardless of origin and make the fascination of science tangible and also shaped.

We will develop into a strong backbone of a modern, freedom society and Berlin-Mitte into a strong backbone for a key guide for a democratic science. Let’s get to work united!