Around 400 stakeholders from the Berlin Knowledge and Innovation Community gathered at the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) to celebrate the renewed funding for Berlin University Alliance as part of the federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy. The BUA Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) provided an opportunity to reflect on shared achievements, express gratitude, and make plans for the future.
The plenary hall of the Akademie der Künste with its glass façade facing Pariser Platz, offered a view of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s landmark. As the evening light began to fall, the room filled with people; conversations broke out in small groups, shifted from one spot to another, and continued. The atmosphere was marked by many encounters, brief reunions, and new connections. Posters and screens provided insights into projects from the Excellence alliance and offered topics for conversation. The celebration—moved from summer to spring specifically to mark the continuation of funding—provided an atmospheric setting to thank the many participants for their commitment and to shape the transition into the new funding phase together.