Call for Participation for the Science Year 2024 – Freedom

As part of the Science Year 2024, we want to discuss the topic of "freedom" with you at #rp24: At a time when freedoms are coming under pressure in ways that have long been unimaginable, we will be focusing on what constitutes a free digital society, the state of freedom in science and research and how we can ensure the freedom of future generations.

Our focus topic on freedom is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Science Year 2024 - Freedom.

The Call for Participation is open (again): We are looking for your program contributions on the topic of freedom!

You can now submit your ideas that deal with individual and social freedom in a wide variety of dimensions and contexts via our Call for Participation for the Science Year. Freedom is a big concept - for the re:publica 24 program, we are particularly interested in these aspects:

Freedom, participation and access to (digital) information

Freedom means participation and access for all members of society - how do we enable everyone to participate in democratic discourse on an equal footing and without barriers? To achieve this, accessibility and freedom must also be implemented in the digital world - how do we create inclusive digital spaces? At the same time, this requires open digital infrastructures and platforms that are geared towards the common good and provide access to information and discourse. Who regulates the internet and how democratically does it work? How can we take everyone with us and leave no one behind? 

Freedom and technology

At re:publica, we always take a critical but also optimistic look at the key technologies of the future - what does the use of artificial intelligence mean for our freedom, for example? Who is responsible for ensuring that technologies are developed for the benefit of the free development of humanity and that no one is disadvantaged in the process? 

Freedom in education and research

How can we create equal opportunities and enable advancement through education? How do we deal with the fact that the freedom of research and teaching is coming under pressure in some regions of the world? How can we ensure freedom of exchange in the global scientific community? How can scientists in this country express themselves freely when they are confronted with hostility towards science and a heated climate of debate?

Freedom for future generations

How can we secure the needs of the present without risking future generations no longer being able to live their own freedoms? How can we preserve a planet worth living on? What would 2 degrees of global warming mean for our society and our definition of prosperity and freedom? How do we ensure that science, research and development find solutions for the future to ensure the freedom of future generations? 

Have you already submitted an idea to our Call for Participation that relates to the topic of freedom and/or these aspects? Then you don't need to submit a new contribution for the Science Year - we have already filtered out all suitable submissions and will take them into account in the selection process.
 

Formats

You can submit your program idea for the Science Year as part of re:publica for the following festival areas:

Conference

The re:publica conference program includes everything that takes place on our stages: From panel discussions to talks to interactive roundtables.

Hands On

Whether it's a (hardware) workshop, free tinkering, fiddling, gardening with robots, live biohacking or a TikTok dance tutorial: all sessions about (co-)making, learning and working together will find their place in the "Hands On" program.

Off Stage

Flash mob, field experiment, installation, pop-up happening, mixed reality, performance - whatever else you can think of that fits the theme of freedom to play on the grounds and help shape our supporting program.
 

Deadline

The Call for Participation ends on 22.02.2024 (23:59 CET).
 

Further information

You can find everything you need to know for your submission here:

Any questions?

Then take a look at our FAQs. We look forward to your contribution!

About the Science Year 2024 - Freedom

The theme of the Science Year 2024 is freedom. Because it is of fundamental value and is under threat today in ways that have long been unimaginable. Two upcoming anniversaries underline its importance for Germany: 75 years of the Basic Law and 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Science Year 2024 is therefore focusing on various dimensions of freedom. What exactly is freedom? Are freedom and democracy connected? Where does freedom begin and where does it end? With a wide range of hands-on activities, the Science Year provides a framework for intergenerational discussions about freedom, its value, its meaning and its limits - with each other and with science. About freedom today, tomorrow and worldwide.

The Year of Science is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) together with Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD).

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