“Research has the answer”: GSI/FAIR receives great response at the BMFTR Open House in Berlin
23.06.2026 |
“Challenge accepted! Research has the answer!” That was not only the motto of the Open House hosted by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) on June 20 and 21 in Berlin, but also a key theme at the modern information booth where the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and the international accelerator center FAIR presented their work at the event. GSI and FAIR enthused visitors with an interactive challenge in a particle accelerator game and other hands-on activities. Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär, accompanied by ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer as well as sea ice physicist Dr. Stefanie Arndt from the Alfred Wegener Institut, also visited the GSI/FAIR booth and playfully accelerated a particle. The guests were impressed by the variety and range of research activities at GSI and FAIR.
The BMFTR’s diverse program covered current topics related to artificial intelligence, climate, energy, and space exploration, and attracted around 8,000 guests to the ministry. The event was part of the regular Open House held throughout Berlin’s government district, during which the Federal Chancellery, the federal ministries, and other federal government institutions open their doors and invite interested visitors to take a look behind the scenes of political work.
FAIR and GSI participated on-site with an interactive booth measuring about eighteen square meters, where they presented their current research and “FAIR—The Universe in the Lab.” Through hands-on experiments and digital activities, participants were immersed in the world of research and, for example, used VR headsets to take a virtual tour of the research facilities, accelerators, and experiments of the FAIR mega-science project, which is currently under construction at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum in Darmstadt. The accelerator game showcased the wide variety of research conducted using particle accelerators—from the production of new chemical elements to the study of states of matter that otherwise exist only in the universe, all the way to applications in cancer therapy and space exploration. Participants also had the chance to win prizes from the world of research in a raffle, including cups with a universe design, element magnets, or a stuffed animal.
Visitors enthusiastically took the opportunity to learn about GSI/FAIR research and discuss it with the team. They were able to gain even more detailed information during a very well-attended, informative presentation by Carola Pomplun, a physicist in the public relations department at GSI and FAIR: At the international accelerator center FAIR—one of the largest research projects in the world—conditions will be generated in the laboratory that otherwise occur only inside stars or shortly after the Big Bang. Scientists expect to gain new insights into the structure of matter and the evolution of the universe.
At the end of the two-day event, GSI and FAIR reported an overwhelmingly positive outcome: There was a great interest at the booth, and many visitors took the opportunity to try out the offerings, to immerse themselves in research, and to learn more from the staff. The enthusiastic response clearly demonstrated the broad interest in the activities and scientific work of GSI and FAIR. (JL/BP)
Further information
More about the Open House at the BMFTR
