In times of geopolitical upheaval, resilient international networks are more important than ever. Building on our joint meeting in Ottawa in August 2023, we were delighted to host U15 Canada for a return visit during the International Science Symposium (ISPS) in Hanover in January 2025.

The symposium showed emphatically the scale of the challenges facing universities worldwide – and how close, supportive and amicable their collaboration can be. Topics such as research security, international cooperation and sustainability took center stage.

The internal meeting between U15 Canada and German U15 brought further in-depth discussions on key science policy topics: The current political changes afoot in both countries and, above all, the question of how to continue and intensify cooperation.

Visit to the capital: Insights into Berlin as a science hub

An additional day of bilateral activities in Berlin followed on 24 January. The Canadian delegation visited the Humboldt Lab, an interactive space for science communication that promotes dialogue between researchers and society. Afterwards, the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité provided exciting insights into their current research fields – from translational medicine to data-driven health research. The close integration of science and its practical applications was the focus of the discussions.