This year’s Academy Day(external link) will take place on September 27, 2025, in Heidelberg—a joint event organized by the Union of German Academies (external link) and its eight member academies(external link). Under the theme “Understanding One Another – Moving Forward Together,” the Academy Day invites anyone interested in science to engage in a lively dialogue with experts, research projects, and artists.

The four discussion panels will focus on the pressing issues of our time: How can we strengthen Europe as a shared scientific community—beyond bureaucracy and national borders? How can we foster a genuine dialogue between generations? How can we communicate research in a way that is understandable, credible, and effective—even in times of crisis? What is the current state of academic freedom, and what is needed to safeguard it in the long term?

Between the panels, musical and artistic performances—such as a dance choreography or a piano poetry slam—will provide creative inspiration. Alongside these events, an interactive exhibition invites visitors to experience the Academy’s research firsthand—for example, by listening to the sounds of ancient languages, marveling at Buddhist cave paintings through virtual reality goggles, or discovering the diversity of German dialects.

The evening before, on September 26, 2025, the Heidelberg Academy’s public lecture featuring Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten will take place, and you are also cordially invited to attend.

This year, the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities is organizing the Academy Day Academy of Sciences and Humanities with the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities(external link). The program is also being organized by the Young Academies.

For more information can be found here or atwww.akademienunion.de/akademientag/akademientag/2025-einander-verstehen(external link)