A Brief History of the Lindau Meetings

Part III: From the 2000 to 2010 

Globalisation and new dynamics

2000
"50th Meeting: the first interdisciplinary Nobel Laureates Meeting in Lindau"

Nobel Laureates and young scientific talents in physiology or medicine, chemistry and physics came together in Lindau for the first interdisciplinary exchange.

"Establishment of the Foundation Lindau Nobelprizewinners Meetings at Lake Constance"

Established upon the initiative of 50 Nobel Laureates, the Bernadotte family and the Council, the Foundation has, under Chairman Professor Wolfgang Schürer, enabled the Meetings to develop to a new level in terms of both concept and content over the ensuing years and has secured their fi nancial basis for the future.

The Founders Assembly of the Foundation has expanded over time to include 247 Nobel Laureates in 2011. The Honorary Senate serves as a consultative body to the Board of the Foundation and brings together well-known personages from science, business and politics, among them the EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Henning Kagermann (acatech), Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker (European Research Council) and William H. Gates III.

Founders' Assembly

Foundation Board

Honorary Senat

2004
"1st Meeting on Economic Sciences"

By setting up the first meeting on economic sciences, the Council and the Foundation created its own forum for a dialogue among the elite in the economic sciences in a globally networked world. The Meetings have taken place since then in 2006, 2008 and most recently in 2011, in addition to the meetings on natural sciences. The next economists‘ Meeting is being organised by Council and Foundation for 2014. Laureates in the economic sciences have been taking part in the Lindau Meetings at irregular intervals ever since 1971.

"New application process for attendees to the meetings simplifies the selection process"

By creating a database for the entire international selection process, a stringent international method for nominations and applications was introduced. Until this time, young scientists had just registered for their attendance at the Meetings by simply faxing their application. Thanks to the database, a selection process based on scientific quality criteria was and still is being applied.

"Count Lennart Bernadotte passed away on 21st December"

As „spiritus rector“ of the Meetings, Count Lennart Bernadotte, through his deep commitment and enormous efforts, made a decisive contribution to assuring that an ambitious idea developed into an internationally unique series of events fostering a scientific dialogue among generations and cultures. Furthermore, he set important accents early on with the topics of sustainability and environmental protection and collaborated actively to continually develop the Lindau Meetings further.

2008
"Nobel Peace Laureate Yunus showed alternatives to unregulated capitalism"

After Albert Schweitzer (1954) and Willy Brandt (1972), another Nobel Peace Laureate took part in the Lindau Meetings in 2008, Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Laureate in 2006. In his lecture at the 3rd Meeting on Economic Sciences, he pleaded for a reinterpretation of the capitalist system. Instead of one-dimensional profit maximisation, the social aspect of economic actions came to the fore in Yunus’ multi-dimensional definition of entrepreneurship: „Social Business is the Solution.“

"Countess Sonja Bernadotte dies on 21st October. Countess Bettina Bernadotte becomes new President of the Council."

In her 20 years heading the Meetings, Countess Sonja gave the Meetings their unmistakeable character. Over the decades, Countess Sonja was hostess both in Lindau and on Mainau Island to generations of young people from all over the world.

2009
"Commemoration of the 100th birthday of Count Lennart Bernadotte"

In memory of Count Lennart Bernadotte, who during his lifetime committed himself to fostering science and to maintaining and protecting the environment, the Council and the Foundation organised the exhibition "Discoveries: Water“ on Mainau, the „Flower Island.“ The kick-off event, backed by Germany‘s Federal Ministry for Education and Research, for a series of three exhibitions in total showed how science and research makes a significant contribution for dealing sustainably with water resources. In 2010 the exhibition „Discoveries: Energy“ was held and in 2011 the final part on „Research for our health“ concluded the three years exhibition series.

"First panel discussion on the topic of sustainability on Mainau Island"

A panel discussion on the topic of „Global Warming and Sustainability“ took place on Mainau Island for the first time. Besides being the official leave-taking from the attendees to the Lindau Meetings, Mainau thus also became a venue for an exchange of opinions on the important topics in the coming debate on sustainability: Global warming (2009), energy (2010) and issues of health research (2011) thus tied in directly to the „Discoveries“ exhibition running alongside them and are a memorial for the work of the Lindau Meetings‘ „spiritus rector,“ Count Lennart Bernadotte. 

Panel Discussion 2009.

2010

"60th Meeting – record number of participants: 59 Nobel Laureates, 650 young scientists from 68 countries"

The 60th Nobel Laureate Meeting was again a platform for an intensive dialogue between Nobel Laureates and highly gifted young researchers on the urgent issues facing our world: from world population growth to securing world peace, from bioethics to biodiversity, from environmental pollution to climate change. This dialogue, the earlier and current content of which can be followed online thanks to the „Lindauer Mediathek,“ will be even more intensive and interdisciplinary this year. More than 650 young scientists from almost 70 countries have attended. They met 59 Nobel Laureates from physiology or medicine, physics and chemistry during this one-of-a-kind week.

Watch the Opening Ceremony as well as the Lectures and Panel Discussions of the 60th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Countess Bettina Bernadotte together with participating young researchers and Nobel Laureates before the opening ceremony of the 60th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (2010).

Return to Part II: From the 1960s to the 1990s

Return to Part I: The Beginnings in the 1950s