Falling Walls Foundation Announces This Year’s Finalists For Programmes: Engage, Female Science Talents, And Venture

• Non-profit organisation Falling Walls Foundation announces Finalists for its global awards programmes engaging the public with science (Engage), gender equity in science (Female Science Talents), and entreprenurial potential in science (Venture).

• Announced today are 15 Finalists for Engage, 10 Finalists for Female Science Talents, and 25 Finalists for Venture.

• From each programme category, a Science Breakthrough of the Year Award – the project considered the most promising to change the world – will be selected by a distinguished jury.

Berlin, Germany, 24 July 2025. The Falling Walls Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s Finalists for its programmes Engage, Female Science Talents, and Venture. From highlighting climate science innovation and celebrating visionary female scientists to showcasing entrepreneurial potential in science, these programmes highlight exceptional scientific work across disciplines contributing to positive global change. The chosen Finalists will join the Falling Walls Science Summit from 6–9 November 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

FALLING WALLS ENGAGE

Falling Walls Engage celebrates the most innovative ways to building trust in science, educating the public and sparking excitement about science. Since 2024 we have been setting a special focus on climate change, sustainability, and innovation. In particular, the programme seeks creative projects focusing on sustainability and climate adaptation impacting target groups who are dealing with the effects of climate change. The 2024 winner was Apple Pu Yi Chui with her pitch “Breaking the Wall to Engage Schools in Coral Restoration”.

In 2025, the Finalists were selected out of 237 applications from 84 countries by the Engage Advisory Board. Falling Walls Engage, supported by the Hannover Re Foundation, announces as Finalists:

• Eunice Adewusi, Project Ayika, Climiradi Roberts Foundation, RW
  Empowering young African women to create AI-driven climate solutions, making them leaders in science and climate justice.
  

• James Grace, GreenQuest, GreenQuest Innovations, NG
  Empowering youth through gamified climate education and real-world eco-challenges – making sustainability fun, accessible, and action-driven.
  

• Jessamyn Fairfield, We Built This City on Rock and Coal, University of Galway, IE
  A live climate show blends science, improv, and local voices to inspire climate action in rural Ireland through facts, stories, and emotions.
  

• Jesse Hildebrand, EBTSOYP Broadcasts, Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, CA
  Connects classrooms globally with experts and scientists to inspire kids on climate change through free, live interactive broadcasts.
  

• Kalina Marcela Fonseca Largo, Open Science in Water, Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi, EC
  Empowers Ecuadorian communities to monitor water quality, crucial for managing drought and pollution risks.
  

• Karen Verstraelen, Amai!, Scivil, BE
  Develops AI solutions for climate, health, mobility, and work by involving citizens to create impactful, accessible applications.
  

• Liza Wohlfart, FRANCIS, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, DE
  Empowers citizens to co-create affordable, sustainable innovations addressing real community needs through an open platform and expert support.
  

• Lovro Koncar-Gamulin, City Layers, Technische Universität Wien, AT
  Enables people-driven mapping by merging community insights with data to visualize and improve urban spaces equitably.
  

• Nondas Ferreira da Silva, Seeds of Change, Instituto New Era, BR
  Supports traditional communities and the Xacriabá in restoring Brazil’s Cerrado with agroforestry, science, and sustainable economic models.
  

• Pooja Manandhar, BioSmart Women Nepal, Nepal Bioscience Research Laboratory, (NP)
  Promotes climate-smart farming in Nepal by turning waste into biofertilizer – empowering women, protecting forests, and improving food security.
  

• Provides Ng, University College London, HK / Bum Suk Ko / Baha Odaibat, Urban Mining 2.0
  Transforms urban waste into climate-resilient spaces using digital tools and crafts, empowering communities to shape their environment.
  

• Sidney-Max Etienne, Grown in Haiti, Grown in Haiti, HT
  Restores land and strengthens food security in rural Haiti through regenerative farming and ecological education.
  

• Simone Montano, Map the Giants, University of Milano-Bicocca , IT
  Helps locate and protect Earth’s largest corals which are vital for climate resilience and marine biodiversity.
  

• Sylvester Weekes, Operation 232, Operation 232, SL
  Combats plastic pollution in Sierra Leone through recycling, education, and climate action, empowering women and youth for lasting impact.
  

• Thomas Mullen, Science on the Walls, Champalimaud Foundation, PT
  Brings science and art to life in Lisbon's Cova da Moura, inspiring kids through workshops, experiments, and climate action.

The 15 Engage Finalists will pitch their projects on 6 November to a distinguished jury and an international audience to compete for the title of Science Breakthrough of the Year in Science Engagement.

FALLING WALLS FEMALE SCIENCE TALENTS

The Women's Impact Award honours outstanding female scientists whose work advances gender equality and societal impact. The 2024 winner was Inge Katrin Herrmann with her pitch “Breaking the Wall of Women’s Health”.The award, supported by Elsevier Foundation and Volkswagen Foundation, once again features a wide range of topics in 2025. The Finalists were selected from 97 applications coming from 38 countries. We are proud to announce as Finalists:

• Ângela Gonçalves, How the biological clock ticks in the female reproductive tract: the influence of reproductive cycling on aging and disease, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, DE
  

• Cally Tann, Baby Ubuntu: Harnessing the power of expert mothers to create inclusive families and communities, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
  

• Claudia Barth, FemHealth: deciphering the role of immunoendocrine factors during pregnancy and menopause in women’s health, Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, NO
  

• Colette Wabnitz, Gender equity in fisheries, Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, and the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, US/CA
  

• Diana Koester, Building states that 'work' for women: Implications of state responsiveness to violence against women in post-conflict settings, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
  

• Gabriela Ghisi, Supporting Women in Cardiac Rehabilitation Through Tailored Education and Programs, KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, CA
  

• Ninadini Sharma, Breaking the Wall of Infertility: Lab-Grown Eggs for Fertility Preservation, California Institute of Technology, US
  

• Omneya Attallah, BrAID: Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Resource-Limited Settings via Novel Cost-Effective Non-invasive Biomarkers and Artificial Intelligence, Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), EG
  

• Sarah Bellows-Blakely, Fixing the System: Analyses in the Context of the History of Science, Freie Universität Berlin, DE

• Vivian Feig, Breaking barriers in women’s reproductive health with self-administrable longacting contraception, Stanford University, US
  

Of these 10 Finalists, three will be selected as Winners and invited to Berlin to present their projects to an international audience during the Female Science Talents International Fall Gathering and the Falling Walls Award Ceremony. The three Winners will be announced shortly.

FALLING WALLS VENTURE

The top 25 Falling Walls Venture science start-ups were selected out of 201 applications from 37 countries. Prime academic institutions worldwide were invited to nominate to assure highest scientific quality. The start-ups that were nominated in 2025 developed solutions in the spheres of Biotechnology, Energy & Cleantech, Food & Agriculture, MedTech, New Materials, Mobility & Transportation, and Quantum Technologies. They will present their work on stage on 6 November with one being selected as Science Breakthrough of the Year in the Start-up Category. The 2024 winner were ActiTrexx with their pitch “Breaking the Wall to Immune Response Therapies”. Falling Walls Venture announces as 2025 Finalists:

• Allogenetics, DE
  Allogenetics engineers donor organs to be immunologically invisible, eliminating organ rejection and immunosuppression.
  

• Belfort, BE
  Belfort enables secure AI on encrypted data with a chip and cloud accelerator for privacy-preserving computing.
  

• BioThrust, DE
  BioThrust’s membrane stirrer bioreactor enables bubble-free aeration for next-gen biopharma production.

• BTRY, CH
  BTRY develops ultra-thin, fast-charging all-solid-state batteries for safe, efficient IoT, MedTech, and consumer electronics use.
  

• Ceal Minerals, IL
  Ceal improves seawater-cooled power plant efficiency via electrochemical water softening and CO₂ mineral sequestration.
  

• CollimateHealth, DE
  collimateHealth transforms radiation therapy into an immunotherapy booster and pharmaceutical application.

• DermR Health, AU
  DermR Patch replaces invasive skin biopsies with painless microneedle genetic tests for skin cancer diagnosis.

• eleQtron, DE
  eleQtron develops and operates quantum computers, providing hardware and cloud access to quantum computing.
  

• FluoRok, GB
  FluoRok reinvents fluorochemical manufacturing in a safer, greener, and cost-efficient way.

• Hera Biotech, US
  Hera Biotech offers non-surgical diagnostics for endometriosis and point-of-care cervical cancer real-time testing.

• Lumai, GB
  Lumai develops energy-efficient optical hardware to forerun AI models at scale with reduced cost and energy use.
  

• Mallia Therapeutics, DE
  Mallia Therapeutics develops soluble CD83 (sCD83) as a therapy for treating hair loss.
  

• MatNex, GB
  MatNex uses AI to discover sustainable, safer, and cheaper materials faster than traditional trial and error.
  

• Nat4Bio, AR
  Nat4Bio develops biological coatings from microbial polymers for cost-effective post-harvest fruit protection.

• Neggst, DE
  Neggst produces a plant-based raw egg alternative that mimics real eggs in every way, reducing water, land use, and emissions.
  

• NurExone, IL
  NurExone’s ExoPTEN delivers RNA via exosomes to damaged nerves, treating spinal cord and optic nerve injuries.

• o11 biomedical, DE
  o11 biomedical develops drinkable microparticles that absorb CO₂ in the gut to treat dangerous blood CO₂ buildup from lung disease.

• Phlair, DE
  Phlair captures CO₂ from air using solar-powered electricity, water, and salt, while also storing power chemically.

• Pulsetrain, DE
  Pulsetrain pioneers software-based battery management to extend electric vehicle battery lifetime by up to 80%.

• re.solution, DE
  re.solution chemically recycles textiles using water and electricity to enable circular economy and raw material recovery.

• Roofline, DE
  Roofline’s AI compiler runs local AI models on diverse hardware, reducing Nvidia dependency.

• Scarlet Therapeutics, GB
  Scarlet pioneers universal red blood cells for transfusions and disease treatment using modified and unmodified cells.

• SOLVE Chemistry, GB
  SOLVE uses automated data and machine learning to enable efficient scale-up of small molecule production.
  

• TURN2X, DE
  TURN2X produces renewable natural gas by combining green hydrogen and biogenic CO₂ in modular, scalable reactors.
  

• Unbound Potential, CH
  Unbound Potential develops a hyper-scalable flow stack platform enabling the fastest production speed in battery manufacturing.
  
  

UPDATE, 30.07.2025: Please note the withdrawal of NextRNA from the Falling Walls Venture competition.