(Es gilt das gesprochene Wort)

Dear prizewinners
Dear representatives of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Dear representatives of the International Balzan Prize Foundation
Dear all distinguished guests

Welcome to Berne! I warmly welcome

•         Yves Flückiger, President of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences,
•         Maria Cristina Messa, President of the International Balzan Prize Foundation,
•         the four prizewinners Josiah Ober, Rosalind E. Krauss, Christophe Salomon and Carl H. June
•         and all guests

to this Balzan Prizewinners Interdisciplinary Forum.

As a municipal councillor of the City of Bern, it is a great honour for me to host the forum here in Berne and here in the City Hall (Rathaus).

From 2016 till 2024, before being a municipal councillor, I was member of the municipal parliament whose sessions take place here.

AND: I was Member of scientific staff in the office of equal opportunities from the University of Bern. And in this role, I have dealt intensively with the functioning of science. The central question is how knowledge is generated. By whom and from what perspective?

It is essential that science has good framework conditions, enough time and resources to engage in dialogue with society and produce findings that advance society.

We know that science is in some parts currently under pressure, which is why foundations such as the Balzan Foundation are so important especially in promoting early-career researchers.

The city of Bern is proud to have strong and committed universities here. And that we are also a hub for the international scientific community. Because we see ourselves as a city that wants to support science, especially in the current climate. And we benefit locally from the research carried out here, whose findings we are able to incorporate into our urban development on an ongoing basis and whose findings are so important to strengthen our democracy.

We are therefore proud to host this Interdisciplinary Forum, here in the seat of democracy of the canton and city of Bern. The forum offers the public a unique opportunity to engage with the prize winners in person. The award winners will share their tremendous scientific achievements with us, and we are most grateful to hear their exciting insights first-hand.

I would like to congratulate the four award winners on their scientific work, on their success, on the award and thank the organizers for giving these scientific works a forum.

I wish you all an interesting and inspiring day. Thank you very much for your attention.