Newsroom

At the Falling Walls Science Summit 2025, leading representatives of the scientific community discussed threats to academic freedom – and how research institutions can strengthen their resilience.

The funding initiative aims at exploring new research spaces in the humanities and cultural sciences. 

Ângela Gonçalves is this year's winner of the Women's Impact Award and Science Breakthrough of the Year. Her research is revolutionising our understanding of women's health and ageing. The Volkswagen Foundation supports the Women's Impact Award together with ‘Falling Walls Female Science Talents’ and the Elsevier Foundation.

Why and how is the Volkswagen Foundation committed to basic research? A conversation with Henrike Hartmann, Head of Funding, and Hanna Denecke, Head of the Exploration Team.

Register now for the free livestream: Falling Walls will take place in Berlin from 6 to 9 November 2025. Here is an overview of all live-streamed events in which the foundation is involved.

Storm surges, rising sea levels, endangered coasts: as part of her Change! Fellowship, Dr Claudia Wolff from the University of Kiel is working with local stakeholders to find new ways of ensuring sustainable coastal protection on the Baltic Sea.