After she had spoken to the Tagesspiegel, we too invited her for an interview: Dr Heidi Mauersberger, a researcher at the Chair of Social and Organisational Psychology at Humboldt University in Berlin, is conducting research into conflicts in the workplace. Can conflict in the workplace actually be a good thing? If so, how might this work? We discussed this and more in detail with the expert in our interview, and also looked at the influence of a culture of debate on companies’ capacity for innovation. Read it now: Effective Conflict Management for better Working Atmosphere and Spirit of Innovation – Humboldt-Innovation Insights

Throughout the year, people can enter their ideas – whether fully developed or still in the early stages – into Science & Startups’ ‘100 to 100’ ideas competition, win 100 euros and be announced as a winner on social media. Most recently, Lilli Kiessling and Constantin Rohrbach took the prize with their AI tool CiteLM. Lilli came up with the idea of developing a tool to check the references in academic texts whilst working on her Master’s thesis at Stanford. Before CiteLM is launched, the ongoing pilot studies will be completed. You can apply with your own idea here: 100 bis Euro | Match’em

Der Beitrag Week 31: HI:LIGHTS on Workplace Conflicts, the ‘100 to 100’ Ideas Competition running throughout the Year erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

For more than ten years, Dr Heidi Mauersberger has been conducting research at the Chair of Social and Organisational Psychology at Humboldt University in Berlin. As well as emotion regulation, the quality of social interactions and the perception of pain, the psychologist focuses on a topic that most people encounter at some point in their lives: workplace conflicts. She was recently interviewed by the Tagesspiegel for an article which suggested that arguments in the office are not necessarily a bad thing. We have now spoken to the researcher to find out what a constructive culture of debate entails and how it can influence companies’ capacity for innovation.

I was fascinated by the fact that one and the same disagreement can play out in very different ways: it can lead people to develop better solutions – or it can cause lasting damage to their working relationship. Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace because people bring different perspectives, interests and ways of working to the table. What matters, therefore, is not just whether there is a disagreement, but how a conflict is perceived and handled. I am particularly interested in the emotional dynamics involved: when does a disagreement remain objective, and when do those involved feel personally attacked?

“Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace because people bring different perspectives, interests and ways of working to the table.”

A central theme running through my research is the question of when a task-related conflict tips over into a relational conflict. Task conflicts, for example, involve differing views on how a problem should be solved or a task carried out. Relational conflicts, by contrast, are characterised by personal tensions, hurt feelings or disparagement.
I am interested in the emotional and communicative processes that facilitate this transition – and how it is possible to negotiate differing positions without damaging the relationship between those involved. Factors such as the interpretation of the other person’s behaviour, the quality of the interaction and how one manages one’s own emotions play an important role in this.

The biggest misconception is probably that conflict is inherently harmful and that a harmonious team is automatically a good team. A lack of dissent can also mean that employees do not voice their concerns, do not address mistakes, or go along with the majority opinion too readily.
At the same time, it would be equally wrong to portray every conflict as productive. Objective differences of opinion can open up new perspectives and improve decision-making. However, as soon as the dispute becomes personal, the potential benefits diminish significantly. The crucial question is therefore not: ‘Is conflict good or bad?’, but: ‘What kind of conflict are we experiencing, and how is it being handled?’

I was surprised by just how much even a personal element within a professional conflict can impair subsequent performance. Our research suggested that it is not merely the immediate experience of stress that is decisive here. Rather, the loss of mental energy appears to be particularly relevant.
Anyone who, during a professional dispute, also has to deal with belittlement, mistrust or personal tension subsequently has fewer resources available for the actual task at hand. Interpersonal conflicts are therefore not only unpleasant, but can actually leave people feeling completely drained. This shows why treating one another with respect is by no means merely a matter of good manners, but is also crucial to a team’s performance.

“Interpersonal conflicts are (…) not only unpleasant, but can actually leave people feeling completely drained. ”

A constructive culture of debate emerges when differing viewpoints are explicitly permitted, whilst at the same time clear boundaries for how we interact with one another are in place. Criticism should relate to ideas, decisions or processes – not to a person’s character or competence. It is also important to address conflicts at an early stage, before negative interpretations and hurt feelings become entrenched.
Managers play a key role in setting an example here. Through their own behaviour, they shape whether dissent is seen as a valuable contribution or as a disruption. This includes being able to accept criticism themselves, admitting to uncertainties and intervening consistently in the event of personal attacks. A good manager does not prevent every conflict. Rather, they create conditions under which conflicts can be dealt with objectively.

What matters most is how managers react to the first critical comment. If they thank the person for their objection, ask interested follow-up questions and give the argument serious consideration, they send out a strong signal. If, on the other hand, they react defensively or dismissively, or later punish the person in question indirectly, everyone present will very quickly learn that openness is not welcome.
It is also helpful to actively seek out counter-arguments before the manager themselves states their position. Otherwise, there is a risk that employees will simply go along with the decision. Psychological safety does not arise from a mission statement or the phrase ‘My door is always open’, but through repeated, concrete experiences: I can raise a problem, express a different opinion or admit a mistake without being personally disparaged for it.

“What matters most is how managers react to the first critical comment.”

Innovation rarely arises when everyone is of the same mind from the outset. Teams need different perspectives, critical questioning and a willingness to challenge existing solutions. Objective dissent can help to identify weaknesses at an earlier stage, develop more alternatives and avoid hasty decisions.
However, this only works if employees actually voice their thoughts and other viewpoints are seriously considered. In a culture of debate characterised by personal attacks or fear, unconventional ideas are more likely to be held back. Relationship conflicts also tie up attention and energy that are then lacking for creative thinking. It is not the greatest possible amount of debate that fosters innovation, but rather the ability to use differences of opinion respectfully and productively.

A healthy culture of debate is characterised by the fact that staff can disagree, ask questions and even change their minds without losing face. Different perspectives are not merely tolerated as a matter of form, but are clearly taken into account in decision-making. Following a controversial discussion, those involved can continue to work together in a spirit of trust.
A conflict becomes problematic when the discussion shifts from the issue at hand to supposed personal characteristics: ‘You’re incompetent’, ‘It’s impossible to work with you’ or ‘You always do it like that’. Other warning signs include sarcasm, exclusion, recurring unresolved disputes, brooding over conversations and deliberately avoiding certain people or topics. At the very latest when employees stop voicing important objections in order to avoid negative reactions, action is needed.

“A conflict becomes problematic when the discussion shifts from the issue at hand to supposed personal characteristics: ‘You’re incompetent’, ‘It’s impossible to work with you’ or ‘You always do it like that’. ”

I would advise managers to make dealing with dissent a visible and integral part of their leadership routine. This means, for example, explicitly asking before important decisions: ‘What are the arguments against this proposal?’ or ‘What risks are we overlooking at the moment?’ It is then crucial not to justify or penalise the person raising the objection, but rather to acknowledge their contribution first and examine the substance of their argument.
This establishes a key principle: criticism of an idea is not an attack on a person, but a contribution to our collective work. When employees repeatedly experience that objective dissent is welcome and treated with respect, this not only improves the culture of debate, but also enhances the quality of decisions and the team’s capacity for innovation.

Der Beitrag Effective Conflict Management for better Working Atmosphere and Spirit of Innovation erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

With one exception, all figures in the Humboldt Founder Report have risen significantly over the past quarter. Among other things, Humboldt Founders created a total of 2,543 new jobs, completed 33 funding rounds and founded 13 companies, 11 of which are based in Berlin. A glance at the reports up to 2024 makes it clear just how much has changed in the space of two years: whilst there were 488 companies founded by Humboldt Founders in the first quarter of 2024, the figure now stands at 859. If you are also a member of staff or an alumna or alumnus of Humboldt University of Berlin, you too are welcome to join the Humboldt Founders Club and meet like-minded people: Humboldt Founders Club Anmeldung

The Resilience Technology Campus Marienpark Berlin is a partner of Science & Startups for Batch III of the Berlin Start-up Grant. For Batch III, Science & Startups is seeking science-based start-up ideas that strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure. Marienpark Berlin does precisely this by acting as a mission-driven ecosystem that brings together science and entrepreneurship with a focus on strengthening resilience. Winners of the Berlin Start-up Grant can further expand their businesses with the help of the campus’s hardened infrastructure. Secure data centres, laboratories and protected development and production areas are available, enabling sensitive technologies to be developed. In this way, innovations can not only be created but also tested and validated under real-world conditions. The deadline for applications is 3 August 2026. The last opportunity for an initial consultation is 31 July 2026. Book an appointment now: Kontakt

Der Beitrag Week 30: Humboldt Founder Report of Q2/2026, Resilience Tech Campus is Partner of BSS erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

The Start-up Association’s ‘Next Generation’ report confirms Berlin as Germany’s strongest hub for start-ups: with 429 new start-ups in the first half of 2026, Berlin has set a new record for the whole of Germany. Hamburg follows with 212, Munich with 208 and Cologne with 90 new start-ups over the same period. In terms of start-ups per capita, Berlin takes second place among the federal states and is thus well ahead of the rest. Only Munich performs better in this respect, taking first place. Further, it is also interesting to note that 34 per cent of all new start-ups in Germany now have a clear link to AI. In 2025, this figure stood at just 27 per cent. Berlin’s start-up scene is benefiting from this, with its infrastructure shaped by AI incubators such as AI NATION.

Julia von Blumenthal, the renowned political scientist and President of Humboldt University of Berlin, has now become a member of the Business Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. (BACB), where she is promoting the transfer of knowledge. Here, von Blumenthal’s expertise is intended to bring together academic research and private investors in order to optimally drive forward academic spin-offs. Within this framework, the aim is also to expand cooperation with the start-up platform JUNI. Von Blumenthal wants to “build bridges and bring networks together. The aim is to link excellent academic research with the right investment (…).”

Der Beitrag Week 29: “Next Generation” Report 2026, HU President Member of BACB Board of Trustees erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

Last week, representatives of chemistry-specific technology transfer ecosystems, such as Carolina Wolters Soto and Martin Rahmel from greenCHEM, discussed with Green Party members of the Bundestag how to bridge the gap between excellent chemical research and genuine innovation. The focus was on greenCHEM’s discussion paper “GO-Chem” and the question of how technology transfer in the chemical sector can be specifically strengthened. The chemical industry is of vital importance for a climate-neutral and sustainable economy. Whilst Germany has the necessary research infrastructure, translating research into practical applications remains a major challenge. The experts noted that this step requires dedicated transfer teams, transfer-specific chemical laboratories and infrastructure, as well as funding programmes. greenCHEM’s discussion paper outlines what a specific funding programme for transfer teams in the chemical sector might look like. One thing is clear, however: a successful transformation can only take place if science, politics and industry work together.

Berlin has reached a new record high with 429 newly founded start-ups in the first half of 2026. This represents a 21 per cent increase compared with the second half of 2025. However, there is no time to rest on these figures, as Germany’s major cities are also catching up. New companies are constantly emerging in Munich, Hamburg and Cologne, and university cities in particular – such as Aachen, Potsdam and Heidelberg – are experiencing a boom. Berlin’s success is largely driven by the close collaboration between Berlin’s universities and the Charité through the Berlin University Alliance, which enables research innovations to be directly translated into start-up activities.

Der Beitrag Week 28: Bundestag meets Chemical Industry, 429 Berlin Startups within first Half of Year erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

Last week, the Berlin and Munich AI NATION offices simultaneously hosted a summer party and were connected via live stream. Founders, mentors, and friends from the ecosystem came together and spent a relaxing summer evening accompanied by live DJs, snacks and cold drinks at AI Campus Berlin.

Monday of last week started with an innovate! work session by greenCHEM, where participants discussed German regulations for Green Chemistry startups. Further, they explored how circularity can be a useful strategy rather than just a checkbox on the compliance agenda. One key takeaway was that startups should consider regulations from day one. Waiting too long could quickly become overwhelming and lead to avoidable costs.

Der Beitrag Week 27: AI NATION celebrates summer party, innovate! work session by greenCHEM erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

In the Innovation Lab “Practical Challenge: Market and Positioning Analysis”, students took on the role of strategy consultants this summer term. The aim? – To successfully position the Berlin Industrial Group’s (B.I.G.) new hardtech campus in Berlin and across Europe. The students and seminar leader Anett Lommatzsch recently celebrated the conclusion of the event together with experts from industry and academia. The participants had the opportunity to present their seminar findings to the audience. These included, amongst other things, the following: the campus stands out for its high level of hard tech expertise, can capitalise on the opportunities presented by Berlin’s new Deep Tech Agenda, increase its visibility and hold its own against other brands. The students argued that the B.I.G. should not expand indiscriminately, but should instead be positioned and marketed as a ‘prototype-first-series’ campus.

Disruptive technologies are key to competitiveness, prosperity and sovereignty. Germany and Europe must not fall behind other nations in this regard and must “take more risks, move faster (and) (…) lead the way technologically”. The latter was the motto of the Research and Innovation Summit, which took place in Berlin on 25 June 2026 and was also attended by HI Managing Director Volker Hofmann. Representatives from business, academia and politics discussed how Germany and Europe can bring these technologies into practice more quickly.

Der Beitrag Week 26: Closing Session of InnoLabs, Research and Innovation Summit 2026 erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

The Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises has approved the Deep Tech Agenda, the city’s innovation policy strategy for the next ten years. To strengthen its technological sovereignty, Berlin must expand its competitiveness and resilience—attributes that this agenda is specifically designed to bolster. Additionally, the focus lies on five key future fields: Artificial Intelligence; Biotechnology; Microelectronics, Photonics & Quantum Technologies; New Materials & Modern Manufacturing Technologies; and Software Technologies. Diverse measures are already underway to actively address current gaps in research, transfer, and scaling.

65 percent of promising startups fail due to conflicts between founders. For 66 percent of investors, the relationship between founders is the most important criterion in investment decisions. After all, if there is no harmony within the team, the company can quickly fall apart, and the invested capital is lost. That is why startup consultant Katja Brunner and business coach Marta Schafstall addressed the topic of ‘Engineering Relationships’ during the latest Female Founders Lounge hosted by Science & Startups. AI experts and founders Alexandra Begue and Deborah Menezes also joined the panel discussion.

HI Managing Director Volker Hofmann spent some exciting days in Paris at VivaTech. Alongside a large number of international start-ups, investors, companies and policy-makers, the German start-up ecosystem was also well represented thanks to Startup Germany. Berlin-based start-ups such as Blueprint Biomed, which had recently won the Science & Startups start-up award, were also in attendance. Work is continuing on expanding the Franco-German start-up ecosystem. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Der Beitrag Week 25: Deep Tech Berlin Agenda, Female Founders Lounge on “Engineering Relationships”, VivaTech 2026 erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

From June 9 to 11, 2026, Berlin hosted Europe’s International Life Science & AI Festival, bio:cap, attended by AI NATION, Science & Startups, JUNI, and the Berlin University Alliance. HI Managing Director Volker Hofmann was also present at the joint booth, welcoming Federal Minister Dorothee Bär. The mission behind bio:cap? Bringing groundbreaking science together with funding to help mere ideas unfold their full impact.

The Berlin Senate has approved a strategic roadmap for Berlin’s research landscape up to 2040. The strategy focuses on pooling resources rather than spreading them too thin. Furthermore, Berlin aims to become Europe’s premier destination for researchers, as well as a leading global hub for excellent research, innovation, and social impact. There is particularly good news for the transfer and innovation sectors, both of which are core components of the strategy. Our central innovation units—Science & Startups, JUNI, and AI NATION—are also firmly integrated into the plan.

Der Beitrag Week 24: Incubators at bio:cap 2026, Berlin’s New Research Policy erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.

During elementary school, nearly one in three children in Germany suffer from significant learning difficulties. At least one in eight even meet the WHO criteria for a learning disability. Action is needed here. In cooperation with Ulisses Spiele, gamelab.berlin has developed the role-playing game ‘LIRA’. Supported by a DATI Innovation Sprint funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the game allows children to playfully improve their math skills. Curious? Read our HI:LIGHTS now!

On June 4, Berliner Sparkasse and Science & Startups hosted the 14th edition of their Startup Awards, presenting the prizes to Blueprint Biomed, Porelio, and Spree Monitoring in front of 200 guests in Dahlem. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner was also in attendance and delivered the keynote speech. The awards were presented by the presidents of Berlin’s universities, Günter M. Ziegler, Julia von Blumenthal, and Fatma Deniz, alongside Senator for Science Ina Maria Czyborra and Olaf Schulz from Berliner Sparkasse.

Der Beitrag Week 23: HI:LIGHTS, 14th Edition of Startup Awards erschien zuerst auf Humboldt-Innovation Insights.