The Falling Walls Foundation is dedicated to promoting dialogue between science, business, politics, and society through events such as the Falling Walls Science Summit and initiatives such as the Falling Walls Lab. The organization's partners include the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, and the Berlin Senate. With the Science Breakthroughs of the Year, the foundation recognizes research findings that have the potential to fundamentally change a field or provide solutions to current societal challenges.
Rita Groß-Hardt, Professor of Molecular Genetics, received the nomination for her “Breaking the Wall of Hybridization in Crops” project. Jens Beckmann, Professor of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, was honored for his research on “Breaking the Wall of Stable & Crystalline Nitrene.” Rolf Drechsler, Professor of Computer Architecture, impressed the jury with his “Breaking the Wall of Safer Digital Devices” project.
In the next round, the winners will be selected from the shortlisted nominees. They will then go on to present their research to the public at the Falling Walls Science Summit on November 9.