Our third Welcome Reception took place on October 8, 2026. Once a year, this event celebrates the people whose work we support through our funding programs, as well as our alumni, partners and companions. The focus is always on the new funding recipients of the year.

Representing this year’s new cohort, Visiting Fellow Prof. Dr. Simon Leedham (University of Oxford) and his host Prof. Dr. Michael Sigal (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin / Max Delbrück Center) offered insights into their basic research in gastroenterology. Gina-Melissa Semrau (Charité) presented the project “Giving Children and Adolescents a Voice: Strengthening Participation in Child Protection.” This year’s Max Rubner Award-winning team led by Luisa Daldrup and Prof. Dr. Stephan Köhler (Charité / Alexianer St. Joseph-Krankenhaus Berlin-Weißensee) explained how psychiatry, emergency medicine and intensive care can collaborate even more effectively. Dr. Christoph Kittler, team psychologist of 1. FC Union, joined our Clinical Fellow PD Dr. Clemens Gwinner (Charité) in drawing parallels between high performers in the clinic and in elite sport. And last but certainly not least, the science x media tandem project of Prof. Dr. Thoralf Niendorf (Experimental and Clinical Research Center of Charité and MDC) and Johanna Barnbeck (Spread the Nerd GmbH) impressed with innovative science communication based on MRI sounds.

In her welcome address, Marie Hoffmann highlighted a defining feature of the foundation as a legal form: “It was designed to last, trusting that there will always be people in the future who question the status quo, break new ground and generate scientific knowledge; who make medical progress possible and have the ambition to improve things. There is a remarkable attitude toward the future embedded in this legal concept. Foundations are institutionalized optimism.” In that spirit, a big thank-you from the Stiftung Charité team to everyone who accepted our invitation and spent such a lively, forward-looking evening with us.

On October 16, 2025, the team at our head office hosted the second Stiftung Charité Welcome Reception at our premises on Novalisstraße to warmly welcome and honor the year’s new funding recipients. In a relaxed atmosphere, our invited guests had the opportunity to exchange ideas, get to know each other, and network. Thank you to everyone who so readily accepted our invitation and contributed to the evening’s conversations.

A special thank-you goes to our speakers for their valuable input: Dr. Patricia Krause (Clinical Fellows), Dr. Cora Schefft (project and event funding), Dr. Björn Gohlke (Max Rubner Award), Prof. Dr. Katy Börner (Visiting Fellows) and her host Prof. Dr. Peter Robinson, Lukas Roediger and Nele Tüch (science x media Tandem Program), and Dr. Charlie Hamm (Clinician Scientists), who presented their exciting projects from all three funding areas of Stiftung Charité in short flash talks to kick off the evening.

On October 9, 2024, the first Stiftung Charité Welcome Reception took place in our Berlin offices – kicking off a new annual event series designed to welcome our new grantees and to provide a platform for networking and personal exchange.

Numerous grantees, alumni and friends of Stiftung Charité accepted our invitation and contributed to a wonderful evening of stimulating and lively conversation.

Special thanks goes to Prof. Dr. Jens Rittscher and Dr. Philipp Mergenthaler (Visiting Fellows), Prof. Dr. Jan Kottner and Patricia Kühfuss (science x media Tandem Program), Dr. Zeynep Akbal (Max Rubner Award), Dr. Karin Steinecke (Clinical Fellows) and Prof. Dr. Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale (Project and event funding), who presented their projects in engaging flash talks. The talks highlighted the range of our funding programs and set the tone for an inspiring evening all around.