These researchers have answers to many of the crises facing our cities; they study crumbling bridges, seek to reform entrenched bureaucracies, and aim to advance housing construction and the economy.

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vera Meyer (Technische Universität Berlin): Could houses and furniture one day be made from fungi? Biotechnologist Meyer is pursuing the idea and wants to help advance it. As spokesperson for the new collaborative research centre “My-CO BUILD,” she is bringing together experts from biotechnology, materials science and architecture to develop a new class of fungus-based building materials. An unusual research collaboration with a remarkably concrete vision for the future.

• Dr. Sophie Lokatis (Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin; Freie Universität Berlin): Once a closely mown lawn, now a wildflower meadow: Numerous butterflies, wild bees and other insects have made their home here. The ecologist initiated the “Blooming Campus” project at Freie Universität Berlin to promote biodiversity. On around ten hectares of green space, the number of insects increased fortyfold within two years. For her commitment to restoring urban nature, Lokatis has now received the UN Decade Project Award in the Restoration category.

• Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Günter M. Ziegler (Freie Universität Berlin): Shaping Berlin as a hub for science and innovation: This is the ambitious goal of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), the excellence network comprising FU, HU, TU and Charité. This spring, the BUA was once again successful in the German Excellence Strategy – a major achievement. FU President Ziegler is now the only one of the four university presidents who has helped shape the BUA from the very beginning. He has played a key role in shaping the alliance and steering it to success despite opposition.

• Elena Vera Ballendat (Technische Universität Berlin): Demolish or preserve? In her master’s thesis, the architect proposes an alternative to demolishing the former Sports and Recreation Centre (SEZ). The GDR-era building could become a space for young people, while the planned number of new apartments could be achieved by adding extra floors. A thoughtful design that brings together housing, heritage conservation and sustainability—addressing several key questions about the future at once.

• Prof. Dr. Klaus Gramann (Technische Universität Berlin): Crowded subways, car horns, lots of concrete and little greenery: Does living in the city make us sick? Gramann is investigating this in the “URBRAIN” project. He and his team measure human brain activity not only in the laboratory, but also right in the middle of the city. They want to find out how urban environments can be designed to promote health and well-being. The project is funded with €2.75 million by the European Research Council.

All of them were presented today in Der Tagesspiegel (October 6, 2026) within the framework of the series “The 100 Most Important Minds in Berlin Academia 2026” (T+, in German).