The event, hosted by Kai-Uwe Peter, Managing Director of the Berlin Savings Banks Association, took place at the historic Max-Liebermann-Haus next to the Brandenburg Gate. It brought together leading researchers, university leaders, and international partners in an evening that was as much about shared values as it was about scientific achievement.

The centrepiece of the evening was the laudatory speech delivered by Professor Ulrich Dirnagl, Head of the Research Group Dirnagl (Experimental Neurology) at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and Founding Director of the QUEST Center for Transforming Biomedical Research. In a deeply personal and eloquent tribute, Dirnagl painted a portrait of a scientist whose legacy extends far beyond the laboratory.

“Alastair Buchan has never been content merely to advance his own research,” Dirnagl said. “He has always understood that the true measure of a scientist’s legacy lies in the careers and curiosity of those who follow.”

As a leading neurologist and stroke researcher, Buchan has dedicated over four decades to the pursuit of neuroprotection – protecting brain cells from the devastation of stroke. His work in Calgary, Oxford, and now Berlin has advanced understanding of hypothermic neuroprotection and the circadian rhythms of stroke outcomes.

But it was his institutional vision that truly defined his impact. In the wake of the 2016 Brexit referendum, when uncertainty threatened European scientific collaboration, Buchan stepped forward not with fear, but with resolve. Appointed Oxford’s Brexit Coordinator, he championed a bold idea: that Oxford must deepen its ties with Berlin – not as a fallback, but as a future.

In December 2017, this vision became reality: the Oxford Berlin Research Partnership was formally launched, uniting the Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in a historic agreement. Since then, the partnership has supported over 1,300 researchers across disciplines, funded joint workshops, seed grants, and Grand Challenge Initiatives in global health and social cohesion.

As Founding Director of Oxford in Berlin, Buchan created not just a research network, but a community of shared purpose – one that has thrived precisely because of political turbulence, proving that science can be a unifying force.

Professor Joachim Spranger, Dean of the Charité’s Medical Faculty, presented the Charité Medal in Silver to Professor Buchan. The medal, awarded by the Charité Board, honours not only his scientific excellence but also a profound commitment to international collaboration and the enduring values of academic solidarity.