WILA Bonn (Wissenschaftsladen Bonn)

WILA Bonn (Wissenschaftsladen Bonn) is a non-profit science shop based in Bonn, Germany. Founded in 1984 by a group of volunteer students who were frustrated that scientists researched in their ivory towers while citizens gained nothing from it, it has grown into the largest science shop worldwide, with around 35 permanently employed staff. The organization operates as a registered non-profit association (e.V.) and is self-administered, working on a cost-covering but not profit-oriented basis. It receives no institutional funding as a whole, though its education center (Bildungszentrum) receives partial regular funding as a recognized provider of adult education under the North Rhine-Westphalia Continuing Education Act. WILA Bonn sees itself as a mediator and bridge-builder between civil society groups, engaged individuals, scientific institutions, educational providers, municipalities, and companies. Its guiding principle is "from knowledge to action – and vice versa." It encourages and enables people to collaboratively develop new knowledge on an equal footing and to further develop methodological, communicative, and social skills. The organization aligns its work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in many educational projects, with UNESCO's key competencies for sustainability (Education for Sustainable Development, ESD). Its thematic focus includes climate change, globalization, biodiversity, land consumption, urban development, the labor market, and education for sustainable development. WILA Bonn is active throughout Germany and also in European Union projects, with trans- and interdisciplinary approaches. Its methods include exhibitions, campaigns, multiplier training, simulation games, scenario workshops, and science cafés. The organization is also the publisher of WILA Arbeitsmarkt, a weekly job information service for academics that has been running for over 20 years, and it operates the WILA Bildungszentrum, a recognized adult education center offering seminars, workshops, and evening events in Bonn and sometimes Berlin. Additionally, it manages the "Grüne Spielstadt" nature experience area and the adjacent "International Garden" in Bonn-Dransdorf. In 2012, WILA moved into its own building on Reuterstraße in Bonn. In 2016, it received the "Ort des Fortschritts" (Place of Progress) award from the North Rhine-Westphalia state government for its work on major societal challenges such as the energy transition and biodiversity, as well as its commitment to citizen science and responsible research and innovation. The organization continues to be active, with recent initiatives such as the Klimaviertel Bonn (Climate Quarter Bonn) and its Zukunftsforum 2026.

WILA Bonn was founded in 1984 by a group of initially volunteer students who were outraged that scientists conducted research in their ivory towers while citizens did not benefit from it. This impulse led to the creation of the Wissenschaftsladen Bonn as a non-profit association. The name "Wissenschaftsladen" (science shop) goes back to the emancipation movements of the 1960s and 1970s, when vacant former shop premises in European cities were repurposed as 'children's shops', 'pupil's shops', 'science shops', etc. Similar science shops emerged in seven other German cities, modeled after the Dutch example. However, unlike in the Netherlands, science shops in Germany still receive no public funding to this day. In the years following its founding, the number of employees steadily increased. By the 2010s, WILA Bonn had grown to around 35 permanently employed staff, making it the largest science shop worldwide among over 75 such institutions globally. In 2012, WILA moved into its own building on Reuterstraße in Bonn. In 2016, the organization received the "Ort des Fortschritts" (Place of Progress) award from the North Rhine-Westphalia state government, recognizing its work on major societal challenges such as the energy transition and biological diversity, as well as its commitment to citizen science and responsible research and innovation. Throughout its history, WILA Bonn has remained a self-administered, non-profit association that works on a cost-covering but not profit-oriented basis. It has financed its work through information, measurement, and consulting services, through courses, seminars, and lectures of its education center, and through third-party funded projects. Project funding has come from the EU Commission, federal and state ministries, federal offices, funding networks, foundations, and individual municipalities. The organization continues to be active in the 2020s, with initiatives such as the Klimaviertel Bonn and its Zukunftsforum 2026.

• 2026

  Zukunftsforum 2026 of Klimaviertel Bonn scheduled for October 2, 2026.

• 2016

  Received "Ort des Fortschritts" award from North Rhine-Westphalia state government.

• 2012

  WILA moved into its own building on Reuterstraße in Bonn.

• 1984

  WILA Bonn founded by volunteer students as a non-profit association.

Non-profit mediator and bridge-builder between science and civil society, guided by the principle "from knowledge to action – and vice versa", aligned with UN SDGs and UNESCO ESD competencies.

• WILA Bildungszentrum

  Recognized adult education center offering seminars, workshops, and evening events in Bonn and sometimes Berlin, focusing on career entry, sustainability, and skills for job and life.

• WILA Arbeitsmarkt

  Weekly job database and online magazine with over 1,000 weekly job offers for academics in education, culture, social services, and environmental protection; published for over 20 years.

• Klimaviertel Bonn

  Project for sustainable urban development in Bonn, including bicycle excursions and the Zukunftsforum 2026.

• Grüne Spielstadt

  Nature experience area in Bonn-Dransdorf managed by WILA Bonn.

• Internationaler Garten

  International garden adjacent to Grüne Spielstadt, managed by WILA Bonn.

1. 1WILA Wissenschaftsladen Bonnwilabonn.de
2. 2Unsere Entstehung – WILA Wissenschaftsladen Bonnwilabonn.de
3. 3Menschen zum Handeln bewegen – unser Leitbild – WILA Wissenschaftsladen Bonnwilabonn.de
4. 4Unsere Medien – WILA Wissenschaftsladen Bonnwilabonn.de
5. 5Bonn Science Shop – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Wissenschaftsladen Bonn – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org