Network
The Leopoldina organises science communication in close collaboration with a strong network of partners. Together with numerous stakeholders from research, education, media and society, it develops formats that make science visible, promote dialogue and provide orientation in current debates.
Last edited: 07. April 2026
Science Media Center
The Science Media Center (SMC) Germany pools information for journalists on all current science-related topics. The SMC also enlists scientists and makes their expertise available to the media. The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has been a cooperation partner of the Science Media Center Germany since it was founded in 2016.
Further Information
Scientists can register themselves as experts with the SMC. The Leopoldina also provides the SMC with experts from a variety of different fields from the ranks of its members. In doing so, the Leopoldina helps the SMC provide the media with up-to-date scientific information and to prepare and present this information appropriately.
The Leopoldina develops independent, scientifically grounded statements on topics of relevance for the future and makes these statements available to policymakers and society. The Science Media Center Germany takes these statements into consideration when choosing its topics, thus supporting the dialogue between science and media.
Silbersalz Science & Media Festival
The Silbersalz Science & Media Festival is Germany's largest free media and science festival. The Leopoldina is one of its supporters.
Further Information
The festival is supported by the City of Halle, the State of Saxony-Anhalt, the Media Authority of Saxony-Anhalt, the Central German Media Promotion Agency, Saxony-Anhalt Medien e.V., MDR, and the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, among others.
Science in Dialogue
Wissenschaft im Dialog (Science in Dialogue, WiD) is the organisation for science communication in Germany. As a think-and-do tank, WiD provides practical knowledge for effective communication. WiD develops new formats for dialogue between science and society, offers training courses and connects science communication professionals across the country. Through school projects, WiD brings young people into contact with researchers. Through its programmes, the non-profit limited liability company contributes to an informed public discourse and promotes an open society that shapes change through knowledge.
Further Information
In cooperation with WiD and the “Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig“ the Leopoldina has been staging discussion events as part of the “Wissenschaft kontrovers“ series since 2011. The series aims to promote dialogue on current scientific topics between representatives from science and the media and interested citizens. The topics are related to the respective themes of the Science Years, organized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Science Year 2015, for example, focused on the “City of the Future”, the theme for 2016/17 was “Seas and Oceans”.
The “Wissenschaft kontrovers“ series is funded by the BMBF and offers interactive discussion formats such as fishbowl discussions and night-time science cafés. In a fishbowl discussion, experts debate a topic in a circle in the middle of the room. Members of the public are invited to join the circle and directly take part in the discussion. At the night-time science cafés, experts kick the discussion off by presenting their points in keynote speeches. Participants may subsequently discuss the topic at their tables in a coffeehouse atmosphere, devise questions and suggestions and have them summarized in a general discussion at the end.
German Science Journalists’ Association
The German Science Journalists’ Association (WPK) is an association of science journalists. It aims to promote the encounter, understanding, and exchange of information between science, economy, politics, and the general public and contribute to responsible, factual, and independent reporting from science, medicine, and technology.
Further Information
The WPK is financed, in part, by contributions from its members and by donations from the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is an independent association in which the major science organizations are particularly represented. The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2010.
The WPK has been organizing the trade fair “WISSENSWERTE” since 2004. With around 450 participants, it is the most important forum for science journalism in German-speaking countries. The Leopoldina has supported the conference for several years.
Kontakt Sonja Kastilan
