2021 YEAR OF SCIENCE

In the shape of TRIANGEL, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has created an open space on Kronenplatz that is intended to promote creativity, the transfer of knowledge and networking – for all target groups and age ranges – through diverse formats and events at the intersection between science, business and society. What makes TRIANGEL special is the combination of event space, exhibition space and café.

As a result of the pandemic, TRIANGEL is being launched in different phases. Phase 1 sees the launch of the integrated intro café, providing eastern Kaiserstraße with coffee and regional and seasonal offers to-go – with a focus on sustainability at all times.

Phase 2 will begin as soon as the situation allows. It will provide spaces that can be used flexibly in a creative and inspiring environment. Phase 3 will see TRIANGEL offer exhibitions, events and customised workshops for networking, learning or developing innovative ideas.

“Bioökonomie findet Stadt” – nationwide open-air exhibitions on construction fences

The construction fence initiative of the association “proWissen” Potsdam is one of 16 new projects supported in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s “Science Year 2020/21 – Bioeconomy” and will tour Karlsruhe and eight other science cities in Germany from May.

In an era in which museums are closed, science is taking to the road. In the open-air exhibition on construction fences, passers-by can learn about exciting research projects relating to the topic of the bioeconomy.

Among them is the “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” project, in which regeneratively produced fuels are considered as a building block for CO₂-neutral mobility from production to application. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is presenting the project in collaboration with the City of Karlsruhe’s Science Department.

The construction fence banner exhibition can be seen in Karlsruhe, Bochum, Bielefeld, Bremen, Halle (Saale), Oldenburg, Potsdam, Regensburg and Siegen for several months from the end of May 2021.

This year, the science festival EFFEKTE is taking place for the fifth time: from 12 to 20 June 2021, science-loving citizens can gain fascinating and unique insights into Karlsruhe’s science landscape.

Normally, the fan-shaped city is transformed into a giant laboratory offering opportunities to take part and experience science. However, as a result of the pandemic, the science festival EFFEKTE has also been forced to alter its concept this year.  

Under the motto “Science in the city”, the science festival EFFEKTE is making it possible for visitors to experience new developments in research and science in a unique way. Smaller hybrid events are planned in central locations in Karlsruhe city centre, e.g. podium discussions, talks, science shows, science shopping at Karlsruhe retailers, installations, a construction fence exhibition about the bioeconomy, a science slam, a science revue, a science variety show, #digiTALK and much more. On the final weekend, an open-air stage on Kronenplatz will be the focus of events. There will also be a science truck that will visit various places in the city centre, an air screen cinema with a changing programme relating to the topic of climate change, and a mobile LED screen on which the events will also be streamed. The festival for young researchers will also form part of the events once again. As will the “KIT21 – 7 days – 7 questions – 7 formats” event, which is replacing KIT’s open day this year.

The programme will be supplemented with digital events, such as the virtual campus day of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, the study information day of the University of Education and the latest edition of the current EFFEKTE series. 

On 14 June at 7.00 p.m. we invite you to a discussion with experts on the subject of the bioeconomy. In a virtual podium discussion, together we will explore various bioeconomy futures. What might a bioeconomy look like in the year 2040? What would change in your life? What do you think is desirable and what isn’t? Our experts will explain connections and conflicting goals and will be available to answer your questions.

  The bioeconomy concept describes a sustainable model of production and consumption and so is an important component in the transformation towards a sustainable society and means of production. Such a transformation requires significant changes in all areas of society, which can only be implemented successfully if they are shaped and supported by the population. In this context, the Bio-Wahl (bio-vote) project (led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research) aims to make the bioeconomy topic accessible to a broad audience and to stimulate debate about how it should be tailored with respect to social, technological, political and civil society aspects.

  The aim of the participation-based discussion event, taking place as part of the EFFEKTE festival, is to engage with the audience. Following a brief introduction of three different future scenarios by experts, participants can discuss their questions with them and will have the opportunity to vote on central theories and arguments relating to the bioeconomy.

One year, eleven entertaining editions of science communication: the EFFEKTE science series. The series takes place every two years and invites all interested parties to immerse themselves in the world of science once a month. Each evening focuses on exciting science topics that impact us all – presented in an entertaining and comprehensible way. Scientists talk about what they do each day and familiarise citizens with it – irrespective of their prior knowledge.

The science Tuesdays in the 2020/21 EFFEKTE series are devoted to the key future topics of the climate, environment and sustainability. Karlsruhe’s science institutions have for many years been asking themselves crucial questions in these areas and providing answers. The EFFEKTE science Tuesdays prepare for the coming EFFEKTE science festival, which will take place from 12 to 20 June 2021 and will offer all science enthusiasts additional scientific insights.

The EFFEKTE series is moderated by journalist Hanna Sophie Lüke (M. A.).

As a result of the pandemic, the EFFEKTE series will take place in an entirely digital format this time. Each event will be broadcast at 7.30 p.m. on www.effekte-karlsruhe.de and on the YouTube channel of the science festival EFFEKTE.

The next and last edition of the current EFFEKTE series takes place on 15 June (“Digital farmers, mixed forests and sustainability”).

FameLab is THE global competition for science communication and has taken place in Germany too each year since 2011. Under the motto “Talking Science”, FameLab gets students and young scientists up on stage in over 20 countries globally. The winners from the different countries compete against one another in an annual international final at the Cheltenham Science Festival. Several qualification rounds take place in advance on a national level, culminating in the FameLab Germany Final and the selection of the candidate from Germany.

The challenge: participants have just three minutes to explain their complex research to an audience of laypersons and have to do without common tools such as diagrams or PowerPoint presentations. The talk needs to be easy to understand and include the right amount of science and humour. Props can be used to support this scientific stage show! Anything that can be worn on the body is allowed to be used – creativity knows no limits!

2021 was a very special year for FameLab Germany, as the qualifier in Karlsruhe was set to take place in front of a large audience in the Tollhaus cultural centre. However, due to coronavirus this was not possible, so the competition took place digitally in March 2021 and transformed candidates’ living rooms or bedrooms into a giant stage.

During the science festival Effekte, the winners from Karlsruhe are presenting their talks on the large festival stage and will be officially awarded their trophies.

The project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” considers the production and use of renewable fuels holistically. Such fuels can and should power existing internal combustion engines in future – in cars, commercial and farm vehicles, and railway vehicles. Six institutes from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are working on the preparation and launch of reFuels with 16 partners from the energy sector and the mineral oil, automotive and supplier industries under the umbrella of the Strategy Dialogue for the Automotive Industry BW (SDA) of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Two KIT pilot and technology facilities have already delivered several thousand litres of regenerative fuels that have been processed, characterised and tested in trial engines. In this way, synthesis processes for reFuels were able to be optimised to reduce untreated emissions. Furthermore, using the example of the Oberrhein mineral oil refinery (MiRO), a demo facility was designed for the production of reFuels. reFuels are regenerative biogenic or electricity-based fuels. In combination with other drive forms, they can contribute to achieving CO₂-neutral mobility in a timely manner.

Participants: Dr. Olaf Toedter and representatives on the reFuels topic; moderation by: Dirk Scheer

The first Science Week of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) grapples with the subject of artificial intelligence and bears the title: “The person at the heart of learning systems”. The new KIT event format offers exclusive insights into the very different aspects of research from 5 to 10 October 2021. Whether during podium discussions, TEDx talks, citizen debates or tours through KIT’s research laboratories, during the KIT Science Week science and culture enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the thematic bandwidth of learning systems through a wide range of programme formats. Alongside politicians, business representatives and the urban community, at the KIT Science Week we discuss the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and how AI can be used for the wellbeing of our society.

The format was created as part of KIT’s successful application to become a University of Excellence and brings science and its discoveries to citizens. The particular focus is on dialogue with society so as to include ideas from citizens in KIT’s research. As a combination of a scientific conference and events for the public, the event series, which is set to take place every two years in future, is aimed both at a specialist scientific audience and at interested citizens. The first Science Week on the KIT campus is launching with keynote speeches from prominent representatives from science, research and politics.

The InnovationFestival @karlsruhe.digital shows a firework display of digital innovations. Made in Karlsruhe. On Friday, October 8, 2021, it will once again offer the big stage to the best digital innovations from Karlsruhe and the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe - streamed live from the ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien! In addition top-class keynotes, companies and institutions from business, science, culture and administration will present their digital transformation projects in 10-minute keynote speeches, thus highlighting the diversity of this innovative digital region.

Call for Presentations: Would you like to be on stage yourself? Companies and institutions from Karlsruhe and the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe may apply until June 18, 2021 for a slot on stage with their digital innovations. Details can be found in the FAQ on the event website at: www.karlsruhe.digital.

The livestream will take place from 14:00 via: www.karlsruhe.digital - prior registration is not necessary. The event is free of charge. 

InnovationFestival meets KIT Science Week: The KIT Science Week in Karlsruhe - the first week of October - is dedicated to science and social exchange - and the InnovationFestival is part of it. If the pandemic permits, the science weekend will start with a joint after-work event at the ZKM.