Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year is a annual academic recognizing excellence in Science. Organized by Falling Walls Foundation, it covers the Global region. Established in 2020.
Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year is the flagship recognition program of the Berlin-based Falling Walls Foundation, which grew out of the first Falling Walls Conference held in 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; the Breakthroughs of the Year format with its worldwide call was first awarded in 2020. Through its annual Global Call, researchers, institutions and science start-ups worldwide apply or nominate work that answers one question: which are the next walls to fall in science and society? Curated groups of international experts and a distinguished jury review the international pool of applications and select the finalists and winners in each category.
Breakthroughs are named in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Social Sciences & Humanities, and Art & Science, alongside strands including Emerging Talents, Science Start-ups, Science Engagement and a Women's Impact Award. Rather than a cash purse, winners get a stage: they present their breakthrough at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, held each year around 9 November before an audience of researchers, funders, policymakers and media — a concentration of visibility and networking that few science awards match, and one that has made the summit a fixture of the European science calendar.
Entry is by online application or nomination through the Falling Walls platform, and self-applications are welcome — a practical route for working researchers who want international recognition without waiting to be nominated. The Global Call typically opens in early February and closes in spring; the 2026 deadline was extended to 30 April, with winners presenting in Berlin in November. Strong entries frame one concrete breakthrough with clear societal relevance and a crisp answer to the 'which wall falls' question, rather than a lab's entire portfolio.