Creative energy has paid off: With our communication concept “Escape from Carbonia,” we were selected as one of the ten winning teams in the final round of the Hochschulwettbewerb 2025, organized by Wissenschaft im Dialog. The competition received nearly 120 submissions on the Science Year 2025 – Future Energy theme. We are thrilled that we can now bring our joint project to life—with prize money of €10,000.
With “Escape from Carbonia”, a team of students, doctoral researchers, and staff from science management and communication at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is bringing energy research to the streets. The interactive escape room game makes research on renewable energies a hands-on experience. Visitors at Munich street festivals, such as the Kunstareal Fest, can look forward to tricky puzzles about innovative technologies, physics and chemistry experiments, and plenty of fun while solving challenges. Doctoral and master’s students are developing the game. It is connected to the cutting-edge research of the Excellence Cluster e-conversion, which focuses on technologies needed for artificial photosynthesis.
Science Communication with Aha Moments
To bring this outreach format to life, we collaborate with students from various disciplines—including through the challenge-based EuroTeQ Collider teaching format. From April to June 2025, we invite creative minds to develop prototypes for hands-on stations, craft storytelling elements, and experiment with playful artificial intelligence applications.
“I’ve known about the Collider since my time as a master’s student at the TUM Campus Straubing, but I never had the time to participate in the challenges,” says Yixiao Zhang, a doctoral researcher in the physics research group of Professor Aliaksandr Bandarenka (TUM School of Natural Sciences). “That’s why I’m even more excited to be actively involved now. Science communication is essential to me — it gives as many people as possible insight into the research that influences our daily lives and shows how discoveries can help us shape a better future.”
After all, the goal of the escape room is clear: to convey the potential of sustainable energy sources and demonstrate how people can contribute to the energy transition. Of course, fun should not be forgotten, says Lukas Rau, a student of energy markets and renewable energies at TUM: “Good science communication creates ‘aha’ moments — especially through hands-on experiences and enjoyment. When I learned about the University Competition on the Science Year Future Energy through the TUM Sustainability Office, I immediately thought: I have to be part of this!”
Escape Room for Festivals
Our goal is to develop a reusable format that can be used at festivals and on campus—for example, as part of a sustainability campaign. The whole team is excited—especially Kolja Kröger from TUM’s Public Engagement team, who initiated the project with enthusiasm and drive: “This competition is a real creativity machine,” he says. “I can’t wait to develop a new, playful outreach format together and bring science to the streets. This is a win not only because it makes science more accessible but also because it enhances public engagement skills at TUM— especially for students and early-career researchers who join us.”
The project focuses on learning by doing, gaining new experiences, and creating something together. The winning teams of the University Competition are supported through training and events organized by Wissenschaft im Dialog, providing valuable guidance in science communication, social media, storytelling, and event planning. We will regularly share our progress and experiences on Instagram and the University Competition website.
Want to join the team and contribute your energy and creativity? The “Escape from Carbonia” team welcomes more enthusiastic participants for the mission!
Sign up now for the EuroTeQ Collider (until 31 March):
https://www.ja.tum.de/ja/euroteq/
Challenge on Escape from Carbonia (PDF):
https://www.ja.tum.de/fileadmin/w00big/www/Collider_2025/EscapeFromCarbonia_EuroTeQ-2025_Challenge.pdf
Participation is also possible without taking part in the collider. Contact for interested parties: kolja.kroeger(at)tum.de
Further information und links
- The University Competition is organized annually by Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) in cooperation with the German Association for University Communication, the German Rectors’ Conference, and the Young Academy. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Science Year 2025 – Future Energy. This year’s focus is on research for a sustainable, affordable, and resource-efficient energy future. With a variety of events and initiatives, the Science Year invites people to discover new technologies and engage in discussions with scientists, policymakers, businesses, and society.
- EuroTeQ Collider
- TUM Sustainability
- TUM Excellence Cluster e-conversion
- University Competition 2025
- Science Year 2025
Original article: https://www.e-conversion.de/escape-room-game/