MS Wissenschaft is back on tour through Germany, Austria, and Poland. At the parliamentary reception aboard MS Wissenschaft on May 7 in Berlin, the University of Bonn, a University of Excellence, presented its exhibit to leading representatives from politics, science, and society. The Federal Ministry for Research, Transfer and Space (BMFTR) and the organizer, Science in Dialogue, selected Bonn’s exhibit as one of only three out of the roughly 30 exhibits aboard the exhibition ship for the evening event.
„The selection of our exhibit is a tremendous success for the University of Bonn and underscores our position as the top-performing University of Excellence in the competition. It exemplifies how excellent research at our university addresses socially relevant future challenges. Particularly in Bonn’s medical field, innovative approaches are emerging that contribute to better understanding and actively shaping the medicine of the future“, says the Rector of the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Hoch.
The parliamentary reception on May 7, 2026, aboard the 100-meter-long exhibition ship MS Wissenschaft at Schiffbauerdamm brought together members of the German Bundestag, representatives of the federal representation offices of the German states, as well as leading figures from health and science organizations.
The Bonn Exhibit
The University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) are represented on MS Wissenschaft this year with a contribution from the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 1454 „Metaflammation and Cellular Programming“. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), this interdisciplinary network investigates the causes and mechanisms of chronic, low-grade inflammation - known as metaflammation. Triggered by lifestyle factors such as poor diet, physical inactivity, and chronic stress, metaflammation plays a role in the development of non-communicable diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
The exhibit brings these connections to life for a broad audience through an everyday kiosk setting. Among newspapers, chips, and drinks, it illustrates how lifestyle and the immune system are interconnected. The exhibit is supported by the BarmeniaGothaer Foundation, the University of Bonn, the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) „Life and Health“, and the Bonn University Foundation.
„It is a special honor for us to present our exhibit at the parliamentary evening. Such platforms enable us to bring our complex scientific findings into the political sphere“, says Prof. Dr. Dagmar Wachten, spokesperson for SFB 1454 „Metaflammation and Cellular Programming“, who presented the exhibit together with Theresa Vonderheit, science communicator for SFB 1454.
MS Wissenschaft and the Year of Science 2026
Since 2002, MS Wissenschaft has been touring Germany annually as a floating science center. For the Year of Science 2026 – „Medicine of the Future“ – the exhibition ship will visit 36 cities in Germany, Poland, and Austria between May and September, including Bonn from July 10 to 13. At roughly 30 interactive stations, researchers from universities, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz-Gesellschaft, the Leibniz-Gesellschaft, the Max Planck-Gesellschaft, as well as DFG-funded collaborative research centers, demonstrate how they are shaping tomorrow’s medicine today. Science in Dialogue produces the exhibition on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space.
Contact
Theresa Vonderheit
Science Communication SFB 1454
University of Bonn
Tel.: +49 151 16857 542
E-Mail: theresa.vonderheit@ukbonn.de
