Every November, Germany commemorates the fall of the Berlin wall and, taking advantage of the anniversary, Falling Walls is held, an international event that promotes debate on research and innovation to hazard as to which will be the next walls to fall.

Within the framework of the meeting is the Falling Walls Lab (FWLab), a competition for talented young scientists, innovators and visionary minds in general. One hundred candidates from all over the world compete by presenting their ideas to win the “young innovator of the year” award.

UPF, through the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC) and within the framework of the María de Maeztu programme, will be responsible for organizing and hosting the qualifying round in Barcelona. The event will also involve the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, FECYT) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

It will take place on 12 September on the Poblenou campus and the submission of candidatures is open until 15 July. The winner will be one of the one hundred candidates who will compete at the world finals in Berlin on 8 November. In addition, their travel expenses to the final will be covered and they will get a ticket to attend the Falling Walls Conference.

Eligible to enter are undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral students and young professionals or entrepreneurs.

The format of the competition is very similar to  Rin4’, the doctoral competition organized by UPF for the last three years. The candidates have three minutes to present their innovative ideas and projects in English. The assessment criteria take just one aspect into account: they must be disruptive ideas capable of knocking down the wall of one of the global challenges facing the world in such areas as energy, poverty, the environment or health. 

Video of the final of the Falling Walls Lab 2016