The Berlin School connects people and research. We create incentives, opportunities, and competencies for collaboration between stakeholders, publics, and researchers at all career levels. To this end, the Berlin School offers training and consultancy for researchers at all career levels in research institutions worldwide, and to Public Engagement professionals in Germany, to build capacity and competence for Public Engagement and participation with research.
Our offers include:
- Researcher Training Portfolio
A modular training programme to support researchers at every stage of their Public Engagement journey. Core modules offer an introduction into Public Engagement and building blocks of engaged research, with flexible options supporting practical skills and application. - Bespoke training and consultation.
Tailored support for individuals, projects and institutions seeking to advance their engagement practice and structures. These individually designed sessions bring together training and practical expertise to help identify challenges and achieve goals. - Community building
In addition to the core training offers, we host an annual, internationally attended Academy for researchers, which interrogates and expands the borders of Public Engagement practice. Furthermore, we offer an annual Academy for Public Engagement professionals, which supports institutional embedding of engagement and builds a practice community for Public Engagement.
Our training centers on strategic approaches to Public Engagement and societal participation with research. In addition, we work with institutions to support a culture of engagement that rewards and incentivises engagement to make it a sustainable aspect of academic careers.
Please do get in touch with us if you are interested in our training or consultation, or if you want to discuss potential collaborations.
The Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science started as a collaborative project between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung (2020-2023) with funding provided by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. The Berlin School is embedded in the Public Engagement and Impact Unit within the Society and Nature Science Programme of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Resources
Principles for Public Engagement
The Principles for Public Engagement (in German: Public Engagement-Kodex) serve as a guiding document for people who shape the dialogue between research and society. The Principles are intended to help establish and professionalise Public Engagement in Germany so that interaction between society and research becomes an integral part of the research culture. The mission, vision and principles were co-created by Public Engagement practitioners in an open and iterative consultation process led by the Berlin School and Cyber Valley. These principles constitute an evolving document under periodic review and interested parties are cordially invited to help shape and expand it.
Our Training Porfolio – Information (German only)
Here you can find information about the Public Engagement Training Portfolio – our annual training offer for researchers at German institutions. It gives an overview of the topics we cover and how it works to take part.
Please note: the recruitment for the 2024/25 cycle has now finished. For institutions who would like to become future partners, please contact us on berlinschooltraining@mfn.berlin.
The Emotions in Engagement Toolkit
This toolkit brings together the learning from our 2024 Collaborative Futures Academy (CFA) on the topic of Emotions in Public Engagement. CFA is an annual academy programme hosted by the Berlin School together with partners from the UK (The University of Cambridge, Wellcome Connecting Science and the Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science, and the Public) and South Africa (Stellenbosch University). Over three days, a global cohort of engaged researchers and practitioners come together online to explore a particular topic common to their work, through case studies, workshops, group sharing and personal reflection. The toolkit captures reflections and activities from this year’s academy, with the aim to share the conversation more widely.
