Helmholtz Association Establishes Media Lab
Berlin, 5 October 2026 – The Helmholtz Association has established the Helmholtz Media Lab to help shape the future of science communication. The new unit is being created as shared infrastructure for innovation in science communication across the 18 Helmholtz Centers. It is part of the Communications Department at the Association’s central office. The Media Lab creates space for bold experiments, new perspectives, and the development of communication skills – helping research reach more people and engage them in dialogue.
By establishing the Media Lab, the Helmholtz Association is responding to developments that extend far beyond science and the media: the communication landscape has fundamentally changed. The public is increasingly turning to digital platforms, communities, and AI applications for information rather than traditional media. At the same time, the growing spread of disinformation poses major challenges to the formation of public opinion in democratic societies.
“With the Media Lab, we are embracing this responsibility. We’re going where tomorrow’s debates will take place,” says Martin Keller, President of the Helmholtz Association. “We want to set new standards for dialogue between science and society. To achieve this, we are also testing unconventional approaches.”
The General Assembly approved the establishment of the Media Lab as part of the Aufbruch 26 strategy. It was developed jointly by the 18 Helmholtz Centers and the Association’s central office. Sebastian Grote, Head of Communications at the Helmholtz Association, holds strategic responsibility. Xenia von Polier, who previously worked as a communications manager at the Helmholtz Information & Data Science Academy, will lead the Media Lab.
Over the next few years, the Media Lab aims to explore areas of science communication in which research organizations in Germany have had little presence to date. Its work is organized around three interlinked programs:
- The Prototype Lab enables the Helmholtz Centers to carry out ambitious and innovative science communication projects that engage audiences rarely reached to date. Successful approaches and lessons learned are shared across the Helmholtz Association.
- The Creator Program gives renowned media professionals and artists access to the Helmholtz Centers for several months to develop projects in collaboration with researchers, bringing new perspectives on research to the public.
- The Skills Lab brings leading experts in communication and media to Helmholtz to share knowledge, teach new skills, and equip employees to communicate effectively both internally and externally.
The goal: science communication that dares to explore new ideas, inspires more people to engage with research, and shows how new knowledge gives rise to solutions and innovations at Helmholtz.
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