Press Release: 75th Lindau Anniversary Meeting – Celebrating Science

28 June 2026

For the 75^th Time: Lindau as a Catalyst for Transcending Borders

Anniversary Meeting Celebrates Science as a Shared Human Endeavour

#LINO75: 28 June – 3 July
Celebrating 75 years of scientific excellence, international dialogue, and personal exchange
Interdisciplinary programme bringing together around
70 Nobel Laureates and 600 Young Scientists across disciplines
12 Nobel Laureates attending for the first time
Welcoming address by German Federal President Steinmeier
Expansion of the Lindau Meetings’ Academic Partner Network

Today, from 14:00 CEST onwards, a unique universe of science unfolds in the island-city of Lindau as Countess Bettina Bernadotte, President of the Council, opens this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, which marks its 75^th anniversary. “Science is, ultimately, a shared human endeavour, as also mentioned in Alfred Nobel’s will. And that is the reason why our anniversary motto reads: ‘Science Transcending Borders.’ For 75 years, Lindau has shown that curiosity travels farther than borders can draw lines. Science does not ask where we come from. It asks what we can discover together.”

Underscoring the significance of the occasion, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, addressed the distinguished audience in his welcome remarks: “As researchers, you all have pushed the boundaries of knowledge. Here in Lindau, however, you are also breaking down barriers in a figurative sense – between people from different countries and generations, and between very different scientific cultures, traditions, and disciplines – and have been doing so for 75 years now as we just heard. My warmest congratulations on your anniversary!“ (speech available this afternoon: 75^th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting | Lindau Mediatheque)

Dorothee Bär, German Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, welcomed the scientific community: “75 years of Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings is a real milestone. For 75 years, these meetings in Lindau have been a time to make friends for the scientific community. Cooperation and exchange across the world are the prerequisite for scientific freedom and excellence. This platform for networking, intercultural dialogue, and expert exchange is of immense value and truly unique. Many outstanding young scientists participate every year and often reap benefits for their entire further career in science. We thus lay the foundation for tomorrow’s scientific excellence.”

Markus Blume, Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, also congratulated the Lindau Meetings on their anniversary. “For 75 years, Lindau has been the world capital of science in summer. What started as a small post-war initiative has become one of the biggest meetings of Nobel Laureates and young scientific talents in the world. What a remarkable achievement! I’m very pleased to convey the congratulations of the Bavarian state government. Here in Lindau, encounters spark inspiration, conversations lead to ideas, and projects find allies. So, Lindau is really a forum for the future: Answers to tomorrow’s questions are found here. This sense of community makes up the unique spirit and shows how essential dialogue and exchange are. Especially in times like these, this sends an important and valuable signal to the world: the freedom of science is irrefutable. The best conditions in Lindau, the best conditions in Bavaria: as a world-class science location, we warmly welcome the elite of science to Bavaria – not just for the Nobel Laureate Meeting, but 365 days a year.”

True to the extraordinary nature of this Anniversary Meeting, today’s Opening Ceremony will bring together a record number of Nobel Laureates and 600 Young Scientists from 87 countries. They will be joined by Germany’s Federal President, Bavaria’s Minister-President and various other distinguished guests of honour. Some of them, including José Manuel Barroso, contribute to the opening panel discussion on the future of global health with Katalin Karikó, Morten Meldal, and Frederick M. Ramsdell.

Another reason to celebrate will be the presentation of the Lennart Bernadotte Medal, the council’s highest honour, to photographer Peter Badge. Since 2000, his globally acclaimed project Nobel Heroes has captured more than 500 Nobel Laureates, creating a unique visual chronicle of some of the world’s most outstanding personalities.

Once a Young Scientist in Lindau, Now a Nobel Laureate

Particularly noteworthy is the participation of twelve recent Nobel Laureates who will attend the Lindau Meetings for the first time, including three 2025 Nobel Laureates: Ales Bialiatski (Peace 2022), Michel Devoret (Physics 2025), Seung-soo Han (Peace 2001), Katalin Karikó (Physiology/Medicine 2023), Ferenc Krausz (Physics 2023), John M. Martinis (Physics 2025), Rae McGrath (Peace 1997), Frederick J. Ramsdell (Physiology/Medicine 2025), James E. Rothman (Physiology/ Medicine 2013), Shimon Sakaguchi (Physiology/Medicine 2025), K. Barry Sharpless (Chemistry 2001/2022), and Omar M. Yaghi (Chemistry 2025).

For Michel Devoret, this this year’s Meeting brings his Lindau journey full circle: the 2025 Nobel Laureate first attended Lindau as a Young Scientist half a century ago and belongs to the growing group of former participants who return after having won a Nobel Prize. Peace Laureate Ales Bialiatski made one of his rare public panel appearances at Lindau’s city theatre yesterday – only a few months after his release from prison in Belarus.

Overcoming Boundaries

“Transcending Borders”, the anniversary motto, captures both the global diversity of the participants and the Meeting’s commitment to crossing disciplinary boundaries. As the interdisciplinary edition of the Lindau Meetings, held every five years, #LINO75 centres on the four key themes of Resilience, Information, Integrity, and Life, emphasizing the interdependent challenges our world faces. Through its Next Gen Science Sessions, the Meeting offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in the world of cutting-edge research.

A Science Breakfast, a panel discussion with Omar M. Yaghi, and two workshops – Breaking Barriers in Science and Lindau Guidelines – bring the voices of the younger generation to the forefront.

Conversations That Last After the Lindau Meeting

Beyond the Scientific Programme, the Meeting offers numerous opportunities for personal exchange between Laureates and Young Scientists, such as Science Walks, Laureate Lunches, and various social events. A highlight will be the International Evening celebrating Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes have been awarded for 125 years.

The final day begins with the traditional Boat Trip to Mainau Island, followed by a panel discussion on education, trust in science, and informed public discourse. The Meeting concludes with the induction of the 2026 Young Scientists into the global Lindau Alumni Network.

Growing Lindau’s Network of Global Academic Leaders

At this year’s Lindau Meeting, the continued expansion of the global Academic Partner network is reflected in the signing of several collaboration agreements, including distinguished new partnerships, as well as the renewal of long-standing collaborations:

Mars
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Sciences Po School of Management and Impact
The Swiss Study Foundation, supported by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
University of California
University of Oxford, Department of Economics

These collaborations underscore the network’s pivotal role in identifying and supporting outstanding Young Scientists for participation in the Meetings, further strengthening Lindau’s international academic reach.

Lindau Beyond the Island

For a wider audience, the Lindau Mediatheque provides access to most programme content, which will be published shortly after each session. Photographic highlights from each day will be available for download on Flickr. Social Media: LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok.

If you have any questions about the Lindau Meetings, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings: Our Ambition and History

For seventy-five years, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have served as unique forum for exchange between Nobel Laureates and Young Scientists. Every summer, more than 600 of the world’s most talented Young Scientists and more than 30 Nobel Laureates are invited to spend a week in Lindau on the German side of Lake Constance, a week full of mutual inspiration and scientific encounters.

Since the first Meeting in 1951, more than 36,000 Young Scientists have participated in the Lindau Meetings – for many of them, it has been an experience that has changed their careers and lives, making them part of a unique international network of scientific excellence. Even after years and decades, they are still connected with each other and with the Lindau Meetings through the Lindau Alumni Network.

The original idea of the Meetings goes back to two physicians based in Lindau, Franz Karl Hein and Gustav Wilhelm Parade, as well as to Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg, a member of the Swedish royal family who quickly became the spiritus rector of the Lindau Meetings. From the start, they saw the Meetings as a means to reconcile the peoples of post-war Europe, in particular, the younger generation. Lindau quickly developed into an international forum for the exchange of knowledge between nations, cultures, traditions, and disciplines.