BASE is a partner in the "Science Year 2022”

Logo Science Year 2022 Source: BMBF

Collecting questions for future research - that is the approach of this year's "Jahr der Wissenschaft 2022 - Nachgefragt!" (Science Year 2022, question time!), a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD), an organisation for science communication in Germany. All citizens are invited to engage in an exchange with scientists and researchers, and to open up future fields of research with their questions. The aim is to foster active citizen participation in scientific and political development processes.

The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) also takes part in this nationwide initiative: During the central participation event, the Ideenlauf "Nachgefragt!" (collection of ideas: question time!), we will collect questions for scientists and answer enquiries relating to our own areas of expertise. Furthermore, we will present the site selection procedure as an example of cooperation between science, politics and society.

Which method of energy production is best for the environment? Should we go back to nuclear power? Can we accept the potential dangers of nuclear power to tackle climate change? Can the search for a nuclear repository in Germany be subordinate to a democratic discovery process? Can science really make nuclear power even safer?

These are some of the questions that citizens have already submitted on the website wissenschaftsjahr.de. Do you have more? Then join in and be curious! Questions on all topics that are of concern to people in Germany will be collected until 15 April. In a next step, they will be incorporated into the IdeenLauf and then discussed further in the scope of a digital participation process.

A paper summarizing the results and identifying new cross-thematic fields of research will be presented to politicians and scientists in autumn 2022 and serve as a pool of ideas for research and research policy.