Long Night of Science 2026
A look behind the scenes at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
The Long Night of Science will take place in Berlin on June 6. For this special event, the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology will open its doors to visitors. Experience our research firsthand through lab tours, hands-on experiments, and lectures.
The countdown to the Long Night of Science is on: On Saturday, June 6, science enthusiasts in Berlin and Potsdam can look forward to experiments, lectures, science shows, and guided tours. The Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology will be there—you can find our diverse program here and on the LNDW website. Tickets are available here. Although most of our events are in German, there are many international scientists at our info booths who are happy to share their research in English.
Our institute is located in a building shared with the German Rheumatism Research Center, which is also participating in the Long Night of Science with many guided tours, booths, and lectures.
Our Program
The highlight of the evening is our Science Slam, in collaboration with the German Rheumatism Research Center. Six slammers from both institutes will compete with their slams, offering not only science communication but also great entertainment!
If you’re thinking about becoming a researcher yourself, our panel discussion and Q&A session “How Do I Become a Scientist” is the place for you. Scientists and staff from both institutes will discuss their career paths. Our experts will answer your questions about paths into science and the requirements for starting a career as a researcher.
Mosquitoes in the heart of Berlin? At the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, scientists are researching the infectious disease malaria. Join us on the guided tour “The Tropical Lab Life of Mosquitoes” to see how our malaria researchers keep their mosquitoes. Information about malaria and interactive games are also available at our information booth “Malaria Explained”. If you want to delve even deeper into the topic, the lecture “Flashes of Insight, Meticulousness, and Intrigue: How the Mystery of Malaria Transmission Was Solved” is the right choice.
We’re also opening the doors to our zebrafish facility: On the tour “Tuberculosis Research with Zebrafish”, you can learn how these tiny fish are used to study the lung disease tuberculosis.
You can explore the technical side of our research on the “Zoom-In” tour through our microscopy lab—from fluorescence microscopy to scanning and transmission electron microscopy to live-cell imaging.
In addition to mosquitoes and zebrafish, our researchers also work with a well-known kitchen pest: the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. On the tour “What Does the Fruit Fly Do in the Lab?”, you can experience how these tiny flies are used in the lab.
Further information on the use of laboratory animals at the institute is available at the information booth “Mouse, Zebrafish & Co. – Research with Model Organisms”, where our animal caretakers and animal welfare officers provide information on the care of laboratory animals.
The Long Night of Science in Berlin and Potsdam
The Long Night of Science has been held annually since 2001. From 5 p.m. to midnight, around 50 scientific and science-related institutions in Berlin invite visitors to spectacular experiments, exciting lectures, science shows, and lab tours, giving attendees the chance to look behind the scenes.
The events are spread across a total of five city districts—from the west through the center to Buch, and from the southwest to the southeast. As always, the LNDW program is aimed at all age groups and offers special activities for students.
The Long Night of Science is largely organized and funded by the participating scientific institutions themselves. In addition, it is supported by numerous partners from the region, in particular Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH and the Technology Foundation Berlin.