Bonn celebrates science: humor, music and a rocket drama!

Bonn celebrates science: humor, music and a rocket drama!

On January 19, 2026, the city of Bonn experienced an evening full of surprises and creative content. At a lively session that began at 7:11 p.m., guests were welcomed by Dr. Nina Lemmens from the Ruhr University Alliance and Prof. Dr. Andreas Archut from the University of Bonn guided us through the program. The event was a successful mix of science and entertainment, which not only provided information about current topics, but also lightened things up with satirical elements.

Surprise appearance of the principal

Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch and the managing director Dr. Martina Krechel caused a stir with her satirical performance "Completely detached. A ministry takes off!" for a breath of fresh air. In this playful performance, they took on the roles of Markus Söder and Dorothee Bär and addressed a fictional plot. An amusing idea that Dr. Insa Thiele-Eich was included as an astronaut candidate who tested the University of Bonn in its role as a universe and received a positive “Go!” for space suitability.

Bureaucratic challenges and international understanding

The event also highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles in science. Nicola Kuhrt from Table.Media analyzed Berlin's science policy, while Dr. Annette Julius and Dr. Roman Luckscheiter discussed the challenges of applying for third-party funding. Andreas Archut and Georg Scholl provided information about the importance of facility management for the success of universities of excellence, a topic that has become increasingly important as part of the nationwide excellence strategy. This was launched in 2016 to promote top-level research at German universities and increase its visibility, as BMFTR reports.

A special highlight of the evening was the performance by the International Choir of the University of Bonn. The choir, consisting of 50 students from 17 different nations, sang in multiple languages ​​and thus contributed to promoting academic international understanding. The atmosphere was also enhanced by the dance of the university sports hip-hop group and the show dance group “Headlights”, which performed under the motto “Viva Las Vegas!” acrobatic performances were presented.

A look at the excellence strategy

The Excellence Strategy, which was established as the successor to the Excellence Initiative from 2007 to 2017, aims to promote top university performance and strengthen the international competitiveness of German universities. As part of this strategy, a distinction is made between clusters of excellence and universities of excellence, with the selection being made through a scientific selection process operated by the DFG and the Science Council, as DFG states.

The funding has amounted to 687 million euros annually since 2026, with 539 million euros being made available explicitly for clusters of excellence. The evaluation of these programs plays a central role in ensuring that the funded institutions continue to meet the high standards - this is checked every seven years.

Another entertaining point of the evening was the musical farewell to Dr. Stephan Eisel, who touched the audience, as well as the performance by Christoph Scheeben and Andreas Etienne from Haus der Springmaus, who caused enthusiasm with a musical performance. The conclusion was the thanks from managing directors Berit Baumhoff and Andreas Archut to everyone involved.

Among the guests was Guido Déus, the “First Citizen” of the federal city of Bonn, who emphasized the importance of such events for promoting science and culture in Bonn. A continuation of the series is already being planned: the next Forschologicum is expected to take place at the end of January 2027.

Such committed actions not only entertain, but also form an important basis for strengthening Germany's science location in international competition. A sign towards the future!