Campus Life

Lab tours, lively talks, music and awards – Summer Science Day 2025 brought the Max Delbrück Center community together like never before. In addition to food and games, this year's new format created space to spark dialogue across our diverse teams.

Supporting each other and standing up for our values: Resilience is the theme of the 4th MDC Pride Symposium, hosted by our LGBTQI+ community on July 18 at MDC-BIMSB. For the first time, researchers will also take part in the Berlin Christopher Street Day parade under the Max Delbrück Center banner.

Since April 3, MDC-BIMSB in Berlin Mitte has been hosting an exhibition of 40 photographs by iconic photographer Sibylle Bergemann. During the opening, which was attended by her daughter Frieda and granddaughter Lily von Wild, the rooftop terrace was named in Bergemann’s honor.

Coffee after 2 p.m. is a must — this was the motivation that drove plans for a new café on the Berlin-Buch campus. Professor Holger Gerhardt has been involved in the project from the start. We up him at the café not long after its opening.

At the Max Delbrück Center summer party, employees Daniela Dixon, Matthias Runow and Ingrid Ziegenhagen won this year’s Silent Hero Award. The award recognizes the commitment of employees whose hard work behind the scenes keeps our research running smoothly.

The Berlin-Buch campus is currently in third place in the competition organized by Berlin’s state companies — but there are still four more weeks to catch up. The campus’s best first-time competitor was honored at the Bergfest.

Eliska Fürst organizes the running teams representing the Max Delbrück Center in the 5 x 5 km TEAM relay in the Tiergarten in mid-May. The biologist loves running and, as she reveals in our “We at the MDC” series, wants to establish a running culture at the center.

The Berlin-Buch campus promotes sustainable and healthy mobility with new infrastructure and a wide range of activities and campaigns. The German Cyclists’ Association ADFC has now honored the campus’s commitment with its Gold Seal – alongside four other bicycle-friendly employers in Berlin.

In addition to their work at the Max Delbrück Center, many people from research and administration volunteer their time. For "We at the MDC," six everyday heroes tell us how they help others and strengthen the community in their free time.

During three campaigns in December 2023, employees of the Max Delbrück Center took the opportunity to donate to good causes. This resulted in more than 300 gifts for children and more than 1,400 euros for the 'Kältebus' (cold bus) for homeless people in Berlin. We spoke with the organizers.