Space to Think. Reason to Act.

    About the Academy
    Berlin 2026
    Fellowship in Berlin

    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship

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    Upcoming Event

    Richard von Weizsäcker Forum 5–8 October 2026

    Join the Festival of Ideas
    RVW Forum 2024
    Podcast

    The Next Question

    Listen now: Episode 1 with Anne Applebaum and Ivan Krastev

    Cover of The Next Question podcast of the Robert Bosch Academy

Richard von Weizsäcker Fellows

What is the next question to be asked?

    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Omri Boehm
    Fellow in residence

    Omri Boehm

    Residence: October 2026 – July 2027

    Can Europe really be strong when it retreats from the ideals of peace and universal human dignity on which it was rebuilt on after 1945?

    Profile
    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
    Fellow in residence

    Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

    Residence: Juni 2026 – November 2026

    How can African countries close the gap between what young Africans learn and what their economies need?

    Profile
    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Suma Chakrabarti
    Fellow in residence

    Suma Chakrabarti

    Residence: April 2026 – November 2026

    Why does development advice so often fail — even when it is technically sound?

    Profile
    Kornely Kakachia
    Fellow in residence

    Kornely Kakachia

    Residence: September 2026 – March 2027

    Why does Europe still underestimate the strategic value of Georgia and the wider Black Sea region?

    Profile
    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Marija Golubeva
    Fellow in residence

    Marija Golubeva

    Residence: July 2026 – December 2026

    How do open societies defend themselves against Russian sabotage, disinformation, and the deliberate erosion of civic trust?

    Profile
    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Alireza Eshraghi
    Fellow in residence

    Alireza Eshraghi

    Residence: July 2026 – December 2026

    How can people build community and bring about change when societies are polarized and trust is in short supply? 

    Profile
    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Ben Philips
    Fellow in residence

    Ben Phillips

    Residence: August 2026 – February 2027

    How is public policy shaped by narratives, and how can new narratives be developed to enable progressive policies?

    Profile
    Kumi Naidoo
    Fellow in residence

    Kumi Naidoo

    Residence: June 2026 – September 2026

    How can activists act more convincingly and effectively in times of multiple crises?

    Profile
    Unni Karunakara.jpg
    Fellow in residence

    Unni Karunakara

    Residence: April 2026 – Oktober 2026

    How can global health governance move beyond solidarity as mere rhetoric? Does Germany have the will to shift power and resources toward those who need them most?

    Profile
All Fellows

The Robert Bosch Academy's approach is based on the conviction that good answers begin with good questions. The Academy brings people together who are interested in bringing their experiences and perspectives into conversation with others.

Stay connected

Events at the Academy

Richard von Weizsäcker Fellows standing and clapping following a keynote address at the Richard von Weizsäcker Forum
Event

Festival of Ideas, Richard von Weizsäcker Forum

5. Oct

02:00 pm – 10:00 pm h, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Französische Str. 32, 10117 Berlin
Eva von Redecker
Event

Robert Bosch Academy Lecture by Eva von Redecker with Ece Temelkuran: "Nowhere to Stay: Who will we be if the swallows do not come back one day?"

16. Sep

05:30 pm – 07:00 pm h, Französische Straße 32, 10117 Berlin
All events

In conversation

People and ideas

    Podcast

    The Next Question

    Which questions do we need to ask to meet the moment we're in? Join Pradnya Bivalkar (Robert Bosch Academy) as she sits with a Fellow and guest to explore the questions shaping our future, rather than the answers.

    Listen now
    Cover of The Next Question podcast of the Robert Bosch Academy
    Story

    Explaining Georgia. Convincing Europe.

    Kornely Kakachia built political science in Georgia and founded its best-known think tank. Today, it is closed as the country backslides toward autocracy. His argument: Germany and the EU must realize how much Georgia's future matters to them.
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    Kornerly Kakachia_HBS
    Story

    A Rebel with a Cause

    Campaigner, storyteller, communications director: Ben Phillips has spent thirty years fighting against inequality. He knows it from both sides and says: We need a new story of the public good.
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    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Ben Philips
    Story

    Toward a room of her own

    Historian, minister, crisis simulator: Marija Golubeva has spent her life navigating worlds that weren’t built for her. Now, she is asking how Europe and European democracy – a place that accommodates many diverse ways of life – can be kept free.
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    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Marija Golubeva
    Story

    When debate is the cage, not the key

    Journalist, prisoner, scholar, and organizational advisor: Alireza Eshraghi has spent his life learning what debate and dialogue can and cannot do. Now he asks what comes after trust fails.
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    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Alireza Eshraghi
    Story

    “Movements must become as compelling as the forces we oppose.”

    Kumi Naidoo is a lifelong activist for justice, equality, and climate protection. Here, he talks about the crises humanity faces – and why activists must embrace new forms of storytelling, culture, and creativity to succeed.
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    Kumi Naidoo
    Story

    A Teacher Who Never Stopped Being a Student

    Deputy President, UN chief, lifelong teacher: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has never stopped asking who education is for, and who is being kept from it.
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    Story

    One Question, Thirty Years, 130 Countries

    Unni Karunakara never planned a career, he followed a conviction. It took him from Kerala to the presidency of Doctors Without Borders, and now to Berlin.
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    Unni Karunakara Landscape.jpg
    Story

    “I was completely hit by the poverty that I was seeing”

    Suma Chakrabarti has spent over forty years advising governments worldwide, including Botswana, the UK government, and global financial institutions. His work is shaped by a simple insight: advice only works when it connects with the people it is meant to influence.
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    Landscape_Suma Chakrabati_Robert Bosch Academy
    Story

    The transition away from fossil fuel reduces conflict drivers

    Kumi Naidoo (Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty) calls for shifting climate policy from emissions reduction to phasing out fossil fuels. In this interview, he discusses geopolitics, the Global South, and the limits of UN climate conferences.
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    Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow Kumi Naidoo laughing into the camera
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