Bielefeld’s Science Festival GENIALE is the reason for the visit of a five-member delegation from Beijing, a city numbering 20 million inhabitants. They are representatives of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), the biggest organisation for science and technology in Beijing. The high-ranking delegation visited Bielefeld University’s teutolab Chemistry on Friday (8 August). Professor Dr. Rudolf Herbers, who heads the teutolab, explained the aims and development of the hands-on science laboratory for children and young people and its meanwhile international satellites. Afterwards, the guests were able to see the experiments and talk with the pupils. The members of the delegation had brought a valuable gift with them: an invitation to the Science Festival in Beijing from 18 to 21 September.

With over 400,000 members, BAST represents 196 societies and foundations for science and technology in the province of Beijing. The members include 16 regional Associations for Science and Technology as well as 327 scientific organisations, technology and innovation centres, and public education institutions. Key activities in the areas of science and public events are the annual Beijing Science Festival at the Olympic stadium, the Beijing science and technology weeks, the renowned Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition as well as numerous conferences and collaborations with international experts and networks.

Besides the GENIALE in Bielefeld, the delegation is visiting the Heinz Nixdorf Forum, Paderborn University and Ruhr University Bochum. Members of the delegation: Jiaxiang Lu, general secretary of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), Jianyong Chen, director of the Department for Planning and Finance, Haining Li, rector of the Beijing Continuing Education College for Science and Technology, Jun Yan, deputy director of the Beijing Development Center of Popular Science and Haiying Ge, programme manager of the Department for International Affairs, BAST.