Long Night of Science

Join us for the Long Night of Science on Campus Berlin-Buch, June 6th 2026, 5pm - 11 pm.

This year, the FMP offers several lab tours and talks during the Long Night of Science. We will show you things and places that are otherwise only accesible to our scientists! For most of the lab tours, you have to register at the Max-Delbrück-Communications Center (MDC.C), Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13125 Berlin. The meeting point for all lab tours is in front of the MDC.C building.

You can get your ticket for the Long Night of Sciences online, here.

We have the following program in store for you: 

1. Biology in vibrant colors: We make living cells glow under state-of-the-art microscopes
Join us on a journey into the dazzling world of cells! How does our brain work? How do diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s develop? To answer fundamental questions and develop new drugs, we make cells glow and search for molecules like needles in a haystack. We explain our research and show you how physics, chemistry and biology work together across disciplines. We’ll experiment together using state-of-the-art microscopes. Join us and marvel at the amazing world of cells

Tours take place at 5.30 - 6.15 pm, 7 - 7.45 pm, 8.30 - 9.15 pm, 10 - 10.45 pm

2. The molecular entry ticket: How to get proteins into the cell
 Proteins are essential for the life of every organism. They are also already being used as a new class of medicines. However, their use is limited because proteins are usually unable to enter the interior of cells. But if a protein needs to act inside a cell, how can we get it in? Using a combination of techniques from biology and chemistry, we are searching for solutions to this problem in our laboratory. Join us on the protein’s journey into the cell; from its production and modification right through to its successful entry into the cell.

Tours take place at 5.30 - 6.15 pm, 7 - 7.45 pm, 8.30 - 9.15 pm

3. First steps in drug development
How does an automated chemical library containing over 100,000 compounds work, and how has digitalisation already accelerated and optimised drug research? Try your hand at operating the automated robot yourself. Experience the fascinating world of acoustic dispensing – as if by magic, we use an acoustic signal to produce 2.5-nanolitre droplets. See how automation makes work easier, but also how researchers are putting it to use.

Tours take place at 6 - 6.45 pm, 7.30 - 8.15 pm

4. It's all in the mind: Why tiny bubbles matter
Nerve cells in our brain communicate by releasing neurotransmitters from tiny vesicles known as synaptic vesicles. Malfunctions in this process can lead to conditions such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. To gain a better understanding of this, we cultivate and study nerve cells in our laboratory. Come and visit us in the cell culture laboratory and we’ll show you how we work!

Tours take place at 5.30 - 6.15 pm, 7 - 7.45, 8.30 - 9.15 pm

5. Open Lab: A hands-on, interactive lab
Sie waren noch nie in einem Forschungslabor? Dann ist diese Tour genau das Richtige: Gemeinsam mit Wissenschaftler:innen besuchen Sie eines unserer Forschungslabore und probieren typische Arbeitsschritte wie Pipettieren, Vortexen, Zentrifugieren und vieles mehr. Vor Ort können Sie mit unseren Forschenden ins Gespräch kommen, mehr über ihre Forschungsthemen und Experimente erfahren – und verstehen, warum Rückschläge im Alltag keine Seltenheit sind.

Open from 5 - 9 pm

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The podcast will take place outdoors on the lawn if the weather is fine, or in the lecture theatre if it rains. No registration is required.

Live-Podcast (approx. 45 minutes): What exactly is pharmacology and why do we focus on the molecular level?
In conversation with Bernd Rupp, we address some fundamental questions: What is pharmacology and what makes molecular pharmacology unique? 

Live-Podcast (approx. 45 minutes): Drug Discovery: Past, present and future
Bernd Rupp and Edgar Specker explore how the search for new active substances has changed over the past few decades.

You can find the full program for the Long Night of Science here.