Come and Visit the Home of Science

Open your eyes – there’s a lot to see! The big day is finally almost here! On Sunday, 7 July 2019, Forschungszentrum Jülich will once again open its doors to the public. “A journey into the future” is the theme of this year’s Open Day, with more than 60 institutes presenting their research and specialist fields. Between 10:00 and 17:00, all those who have a thirst for knowledge are welcome to explore the campus and join our scientists in taking a look at tomorrow’s world.

Keyvisual vom Tag der Neugier
Neugierige sind herzlich willkommen am Sonntag, den 7. Juli 2019, von 10:00 bis 17:00 Uhr.

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Wonderful! Thank you for the lovely day. It was really great!


We were all blown away! Impressed with the wealth of presentations, and the chance to make this accessible for children and families. You succeeded in awakening our curiosity!


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This feedback from the last Open Day provides just a taster of what’s in store for the 20,000 expected visitors to this summer’s event. The range of topics that will be presented on the day is as varied as the research conducted on campus: from energy, information technology, and climate and the environment to health and materials research. Anyone looking to learn more about training and career opportunities will also find a wealth of information waiting for them.

Up close and personal

Supercomputer Juwels
Supercomputer JUWELS in der Rechnerhalle des JSC
Forschungszentrum Jülich / R.-U. Limbach

Everyone enthusiastic about technology will have the chance to get a close-up look at the technical infrastructure behind Jülich’s pioneering research on Open Day. This includes the JUWELS supercomputer at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC). Its theoretical peak performance of 12 petaflop/s is roughly equivalent to the performance of 60,000 state-of-the-art PCs. The Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility (HNF), a 1000 m² cleanroom for research with nanostructures, is just as impressive. The facility is a sort of huge workbench for the smallest objects imaginable – which explains why the theme of the day’s event at HNF “Gulliver in the realm of the Nanos”.

The Living Lab Energy Campus (LLEC) demonstrates that Jülich’s research always has a practical application: for the project, parts of the campus serve as a real-life laboratory for the investigation of future energy systems. Effectively, Forschungszentrum Jülich is thus rehearsing for the transformation of the German energy sector (Energiewende) on location. Other events concerning the topic of energy include “The time is ripe for electromobility”, “The fuel cell vehicle”, and “Energy storage systems of tomorrow”.

Knowledge transfer and its practical application also play a part in other fields. “Structural change concerns our region to a special degree. The bioeconomy – one of the major topics at the Institute of Plant Sciences and a strategic objective of Forschungszentrum Jülich – offers many opportunities in this context, particularly taking into consideration the existing strengths of the Rhineland area,” emphasizes plant researcher Andreas Müller. “Open Day is an excellent opportunity to initiate discussion. Our event ‘Planting for the future’ shows what is possible from our point of view and can therefore help develop a vision for the period after the end of lignite exploitation. Our contribution thus fits perfectly with this year’s Open Day theme. We are looking forward to many fascinating conversations and discussions.”

Seebühne beim Tag der Neugier im Forschungszentrum Jülich
Forschungszentrum Jülich / Ralf-Uwe Limbach

Getting an early start

Our youngest visitors will also find plenty to enjoy: at the JuLab Schools Laboratory, they can be researchers for a day and try out our supervised experiments. The varied programme on the lakeside stage, which includes Felix Homann with his ShowLabor science show and Sascha Ott with his kitchen experiments, will present scientific topics in a playful, entertaining way. An event hosted by Jens Elgeti from the Institute of Complex Systems (ICS) entitled “Chocolate pudding – a complex matter” also promises to be both entertaining and educational. Particularly enquiring minds can also learn more about the campus by taking part in our research rally. Various scientific fields wait to be discovered at different stations – with tricky questions waiting to be solved.

Though not included in the research rally, there is one stop that is always a special highlight, particularly for our youngest visitors: the Works Fire Brigade. Our colleagues specializing in hot topics will present their fire station, equipment, and vehicles. Not to be forgotten are Jülich’s working dogs, who will once again be showing off their skills.

A two-storey truck will give the inventors of tomorrow an idea of what it means to be truly innovative. Using graphic aids such as virtual reality applications and multimedia presentations, the InnoTruck – an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) – will demonstrate what factors are important for the successful development of new technologies.

Know where

Screenshot der App zum Tag der Neugier

With more than 6,000 employees, over 80 institutes, and an area of roughly 2 square kilometres, Forschungszentrum Jülich is like a little town that is easy to get lost in. We have therefore developed an app to help you find your way amidst the large campus and the varied programme. This will allow you to navigate safely across campus and stay up to date on the various events.

Practical tips

As usual, Forschungszentrum Jülich will be a car-free zone on Open Day, but bicycles will be welcome on campus. Starting at 09:30, there will be regular shuttle buses from the designated car parks to Forschungszentrum Jülich and back. You can also take the Rurtalbahn train (with a valid ticket) from Düren or Linnich to the “Forschungszentrum” stop. From here, you can walk (approx. 15 minutes) or take one of the regular free shuttle buses to the main entrance of Forschungszentrum Jülich.

There are public toilets in all buildings, with many of them wheel-chair accessible.

And finally: your four-legged friends will have to stay at home.

Detailed information on Open Day:

http://www.tagderneugier.de/tagderneugier/EN/Home/home_node.html

How to get here and where to park on Open Day

Event app for Open Day

Last Modified: 22.05.2022