75th Lindau Meeting – Opening with Federal President of Germany

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings look forward to celebrating its 75^th Anniversary Meeting, particularly as Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, has confirmed his attendance and will address participants and guests during the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, 28 June.

On the day before, Saturday, 27 June at 17:00, the Lindau Meetings together with the City of Lindau open the doors for Lindau citizens to witness the unique Lindau Nobel Peace Dialogue at the City Theatre: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2022) Ales Bialiatski, former President of the European Commission H.E. José Manuel Barroso – who accepted the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the European Union – and former President of the United Nations General Assembly H.E. Seung-soo Han (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001) will come together for a public dialogue on the relationship between science, civil society and political responsibility. The event marks one of Ales Bialiatski’s first public appearances before a live audience since his release in December 2025 after more than four years of imprisonment in Belarus.

The Meeting week then gets underway with similar highlights: Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI”, will deliver a Lecture on 30 June on A Brief History of AI. On 1 July, he will join John M. Jumper, developer of AlphaFold and recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for a discussion titled What Does It Mean to “Understand” in the Age of AI? In Lindau, the pioneer of foundational AI research will meet the scientist who first made artificial intelligence applicable to protein structure prediction – a breakthrough of enormous significance, as decoding protein structures is key to understanding diseases and developing targeted new medicines.

What can a quantum computer actually do – and what benefits might it bring to society? On 2 July, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis, two of the world’s leading quantum computing researchers, will discuss these questions together with William D. Phillips (Nobel Prize in Physics 1997), whose research laid important foundations for quantum technologies, in a panel titled From Qubits to Consequences: The Future Impact of Quantum Computing.

How can science help address hunger, climate change and global inequality? This question will be explored on 29 June in Food Security: Scientific Challenge, Political Failure or Moral Imperative by H.E. David M. Beasley, former Republican Governor of South Carolina and former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, which received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, together with Brian P. Schmidt (Nobel Prize in Physics 2011) and Sir Richard J. Roberts (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1993).

As is tradition in midsummer, the charming old town of Lindau is once again becoming a global stage for science – but this anniversary year stands apart: seldom, if ever, have so many Nobel Laureates gathered in one place at the same time. At a moment when breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, global health, and geopolitics are reshaping our world at unprecedented speed, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings offer something increasingly rare: direct, unfiltered exchange with the individuals driving these changes.

For the 75^th time, this extraordinary meeting takes place on an island in the Bavarian part of Lake Constance – bringing together a record number of Nobel Laureates and more than 600 outstanding Young Scientists from across the globe. It is not just a scientific conference, but a unique convergence of experience, ideas, and influence across disciplines.

Already the Third Lindau Alumnus to Return With a Nobel Prize

Around 70 Nobel Laureates have confirmed their participation, including several recent Laureates attending Lindau for the first time. A particularly striking story is that of Michel Devoret, who once came to Lindau as a Young Scientist and now returns as a Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is the third Alumnus of this kind after Bert Sakmann (Physiology/Medicine 1991) and Morten Meldal (Chemistry 2022), thereby completing the lineup across all the Nobel Prize disciplines from the natural sciences. His return captures what makes Lindau unique: encounters that can resonate across decades.

Dialogue Between Breakthrough Science and Global Responsibility

The programme at the Inselhalle begins on Sunday, 28 June at 14:00, with a festive opening ceremony followed by a high-level Panel Discussion on Global Health featuring Katalin Karikó, Morten Meldal, and Frederick J. Ramsdell. This sets the tone for a programme that consistently links scientific discovery with its societal and political consequences. Over the following five days, a diverse array of formats makes for a dynamic programme, which also reflects the special character of the Anniversary Meeting. The agenda focuses on a range of key themes that highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the Meeting, thus allowing for the Lindau-specific intersection of disciplines at a time of rapid transformation.

Big Stage for Nobel Laureates and Young Scientists Alike

What are the most pressing priorities in research today – and how does their urgency (and the attention they garner) differ between the regions of the world? A panel moderated by Omar M. Yaghi will feature Young Scientists as leading voices from around the world to explore the global landscape of challenges and perspectives for the future of research.

During six Next Gen Science Sessions, Young Scientists present their research and ideas, offering a forward-looking view on how the next generation approaches the tasks ahead.

Trust in Science in an Age of Misinformation and Polarization

Beside the scientific programme, the Meeting provides numerous opportunities for personal interaction between Laureates and Young Scientists. One of 2026’s highlights will be the International Evening dedicated to Sweden as the country where the scientific Nobel Prizes have been awarded for 125 years.

The closing day (3 July) offers another occasion for exchange among participants. It begins with the traditional Boat Trip to Mainau Island, hosted by the state of Baden-Württemberg. Following a Panel Discussion on education as a tool to restore trust in science and enable informed public discourse, the Meeting concludes with the ceremony transforming the 2026 class of Young Scientists into a part of the vibrant worldwide Lindau Alumni network.

What Accreditation Offers

Journalists, science writers, editors, bloggers, podcasters, and science influencers with a clear plan for coverage across print, digital, broadcast, or social media are encouraged to apply for accreditation – with an explicit deadline this year on Friday, 19 June 2026. Media representatives who want to participate in the Opening Day are requested to arrive at Lindau Inselhalle on Sunday, 28 June between 11:30 and 12:30 – for this day there will be no media access thereafter.

On site, they can look forward to hearing global voices on science and society – a setting that enables rare, in-depth storytelling. During a press reception in the evening of the Opening Day, media representatives will have the opportunity to meet international colleagues as well as the Lindau communications team.