On September 21–23, the Elkana Forum launched with its first meeting, entitled "The Future of Science: Disciplines in Disarray," at Harnack House in Berlin. The Forum is headed by Katja Krause and Ohad Parnes, and its first meeting was generously supported by Wilhelm Krull of the New Institute, Shai Lavi of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and the NOMIS Foundation. Over 40 active participants, Yehuda Elkana’s family, and a large audience stood witness to the start of this new venture.

The first meeting of the Elkana Forum was dedicated to a series of themes at the forefront of scientific research, including cybersecurity, consciousness research, and the plasticity of the human body. It brought together international experts from a wide range of scientific and humanistic disciplines to explore the scope for change at the interface between science and policy. Participants included key stakeholders of science policy, such as Christoph Markschies (President of the BBAW) and Volker Meyer-Guckel (Secretary General of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft), as well as world-leading scientists who work on the frontiers of these scientific themes. The event commemorated the tenth anniversary of the death of the visionary historian of science Yehuda Elkana (1934–2012), and now carries his name.

The next Elkana Forum meeting will take place in 2023. To join the mailing list or to reserve a seat for the next meeting, please write to futureofscience@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de.