The political attitudes of young people in Europe differ significantly by gender, a trend already highlighted by the 2025 study “The youth gender gap in support for the far right” from the Humboldt Governance Lab. This divergence is clearly visible in Germany, where 25 percent of young men identify with the right-wing spectrum, compared to only 14 percent of women. Conversely, support for left-wing parties is growing among their female peers, rising from 44 percent in 2019 to 51 percent in 2024.

The reasons for these gender differences are complex: Young men tend to orient themselves more strongly toward traditional roles and images of masculinity, and many feel left behind in a world shaped by globalization and modernization. Because they obtain higher educational qualifications less frequently than women, they are more often affected by economic insecurity. While lower education levels correlate strongly with right-wing populist attitudes, a high level of education is no guarantee for the rejection of right-wing positions.

In Germany, a young person’s place of residence also plays a decisive role in their political stance. In recent state elections in Eastern Germany, between 29 and 38 percent of the younger generation cast their vote for the right-wing populist AfD, whereas these percentages are lower in Western German regions. This can be explained by a persistent East-West divide regarding wages, infrastructure, and demographics to the disadvantage of Eastern Germany.

Generally, the voting behavior of younger generations in Germany is characterized as volatile and susceptible to crises. Alongside frustration and political apathy, there is a shattered trust in established parties. It is particularly striking that 44 percent of the younger generation desire a “strong hand” in government leadership. At the same time, a counter-pole exists, defined by high political interest, satisfaction with democracy, and progressive values among young people.

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If we go back more than 200 years, we arrive at the year 1810. That was when the University of Berlin was founded, an event driven partly by the then Prussian Minister of Education, Wilhelm von Humboldt, and which marked the birth of the modern German university. The founding was preceded by the Neo-Humanist university idea, which emerged around 1800 and laid the groundwork for the University of Berlin.

The Neo-Humanist university idea, and thus the Humboldtian university, was characterised by five principles:

1. The unity of research and teaching
2. The freedom of research and teaching
3. The notion that the university serves the “pure” idea of science for its own sake (Zweckfreiheit – freedom from practical purpose) and that the primary goal is scientific study, not academic vocational training
4. The assumption that science forms (bildet) and produces truly moral leaders (sittliche Führungspersönlichkeiten)
5. The unity of all sciences at the university, held together by the disciplines of the Faculty of Philosophy

However, these principles were not put into practice until the 20th century. Moreover, 19th-century society did not regard the University of Berlin as a reform university, but rather those in Göttingen and Halle. After the dawn of the 20th century, the understanding of the Berlin University as the first modern classical university gradually spread. It received its current name, Humboldt University of Berlin, in 1949.

Characteristic of Humboldt’s conception of science, however, was not only its inherent value as an end in itself, but also its necessity for the state and the nation. According to Humboldt, science must be “made available for use,” which we would today describe as knowledge transfer — the very principle to which we at Humboldt Innovation are committed.

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In November 2025, six finalist teams will once again gather at the award ceremony of the “Forum Junge Spitzenforschung” to present their application-oriented research projects. This year’s focus is on the topic of water. In line with this theme, this edition of HI:BITS is dedicated to ten facts about water that you might not have heard of, but should definitely know!

1. In Germany, the average water consumption per person is around 130 liters per day, while a person living in a rural community in sub-Saharan Africa uses about 16 liters per day.
2. More than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but less than three percent of it is drinkable. 97% of the water comes from the oceans, 2.5% consists of non-usable freshwater from glaciers and underground sources, and only 0.5% is usable freshwater.
3. The preservation and restoration of natural wetlands benefits climate protection. As HI, we are involved in the LIFE Multi Peat project, which focuses on rewetting peatlands in Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4. The process of turning natural water into drinking water involves several steps: It begins with flocculation, during which positively charged substances bind to negatively charged impurities, allowing them to be filtered out. Next comes sedimentation, where gravity helps remove particles from the bottom of the treatment plant. After that, sand and activated carbon filters are used to eliminate pathogens. Any remaining impurities are removed with disinfectants such as chlorine.
5. Up to 20 liters of water can flow through a faucet in one minute. With EcoSmart fittings, this amount can be reduced to around five liters. So if you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, you can save at least 10 liters of water.
6. Globally, around 70% of water is used for agriculture, whereas in Europe the figure is only 35%.
7. The term “virtual water” was coined by British researcher John Anthony Allan. It refers to the amount of water used, evaporated, or contaminated throughout the entire production process of a product.
8. Producing one kilogram of cheese requires about 5,000 liters of water. For one kilogram of beef, the average is as high as 15,455 liters. For comparison: manufacturing a car requires around 20,000 liters of water.
9. A dishwasher saves significantly more water than washing dishes by hand. However, this only holds true if the dishwasher is energy-efficient and fully loaded.
10. Untreated wastewater causes emissions. However, treating it accounts for up to seven percent of greenhouse gases. According to UNESCO, improved processes and energy savings can help reduce this figure. Moreover, wastewater treatment itself can serve as a source of energy. Our startup Shit2Power is already leading the way: it transforms sewage sludge into clean energy and high-quality phosphorus ash, without producing any waste products.

Der Beitrag Ten Waterproof Facts erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

Were you a student or in school back in the late 2000s?
If so, you probably remember SchülerVZ and StudiVZ — the German-language answer to Facebook. Both social networks were born at Humboldt University in Berlin. In October 2005, Dennis Bemmann, Ehssan Dariani, and Michael Brehm launched StudiVZ, a network for university students that quickly grew to tens of millions of members. In February 2007, they followed it up with SchülerVZ, a version for school pupils, which also attracted millions. But as more and more users migrated to Facebook, both platforms slowly faded away. In 2022, StudiVZ finally shut down for good.

Another Humboldt-born success story is Babbel, the popular paid language-learning platform. Founded in 2007 by Markus Witte under the name Lesson Nine GmbH, Babbel went online in early 2008. At first, it was ad-supported, but by 2012 the company had shifted to a subscription-based model. In 2013, Babbel set its sights on the U.S. market and acquired American competitor PlaySay, establishing a strong foothold across the Atlantic. Over the years, Babbel expanded its offerings, saw a surge in users during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is now preparing for an IPO. Today, the company generates hundreds of millions in revenue and operates out of both Berlin-Mitte and New York City.

Der Beitrag Famous HU companies erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

Have you ever heard of the “12 Principles of Green Chemistry”?
In the 1990s, these were established by chemists John Warner and Paul Anastas, and they describe the sector’s holistic, interdisciplinary approach. These include:

1. Waste prevention
2. Avoidance of by-products (atom economy)
3. Carrying out syntheses with less hazardous substances
4. Production of the safest and most environmentally friendly chemicals possible
5. Use of environmentally friendly solvents and auxiliary substances
6. Use of energy-efficient processes
7. Use of renewable raw materials
8. Avoidance of derivatives as intermediates in syntheses
9. Use of catalysts
10. Production of biodegradable substances
11. Use of process analytics for continuous monitoring of syntheses
12. Accident prevention

In addition, these principles can be assigned to five objectives of Green Chemistry:

Sources: Grüne Chemie | Bedeutung | Umweltbundesamt

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