‍New Spaces. Creative Thinking. Shared Futures.

The Next Frontiers symposium is a trans-Atlantic symposium exploring how culture, science, technology, business, politics, and design will shape the future of our societies. Taking place in 2026, when the United States marks its 250th anniversary, it reflects on a defining national characteristic: the enduring drive to look forward.  

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s “New Frontier” speech, the symposium looks not only on the nation’s rich historical foundation but also on its tradition of imagining what comes next. Kennedy challenged the nation to continue embracing the pioneer spirit of exploration, innovation, and social progress, emphasizing that the pursuit of new frontiers is essential to national and human advancement.

Throughout American history, leaders have returned to this language of renewal and possibility. President Ronald Reagan, in his farewell address, picked up the forward-looking theme, describing the United States as a nation strengthened and continually renewed by people “from every country and every corner of the world,” whose energy and aspirations carry the country toward ever new frontiers.

The "American Spirit" has influenced, not only the U.S. but also, Germany. From post-war reconstruction to the establishment of democratic institutions and strong trans-Atlantic ties, Germany’s modern political, economic, and cultural landscape has been profoundly shaped through collaboration with the United States. Today, both nations continue to navigate new frontiers - whether in science, technology, social innovation, or cultural exchange.  

Building on this shared legacy, the symposium seeks to bring together leading experts from the U.S. and Germany to explore the next frontiers across multiple fields while emphasizing the historical bonds and shared aspirations that have connected our nations and driven global progress for the past 80 years.  

Part I of the symposium will take place on May 7 & 8, 2026 and Part II is scheduled for September 2026.

PART I: SHAPING THE NEXT FRONTIERS

Where do we go from here?  

Part I of Next Frontiers symposium explores how societies actively shape their future — through architecture and space exploration, through capital and technological innovation, through democratic governance, and through culture. If Kennedy’s “New Frontier” called for bold expansion, today’s frontier demands intentional design, ethical business models, and trans-Atlantic collaboration.

From planetary resilience and space governance to sustainable investment and immersive storytelling, Part I examines how the United States and Germany are not simply approaching the next frontier but actively defining it together.

PROGRAM

THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026

SYMPOSIUM OPENING WITH KEYNOTE | Sir David Chipperfield (David Chipperfield Architects, London)

"Architecture, Heritage, and the Future of Cultural Spaces"

We are honored to open the 1014 Next Frontiers symposium with a keynote by Sir David Chipperfield.

At a moment of rapid change, Sir David Chipperfield’s work offers a vital perspective on architecture as a profound social and cultural responsibility. This keynote will explore the careful transformation of existing buildings, particularly the work on 1014 Fifth Avenue, positioning renovation and adaptive reuse as essential strategies for our collective future. Such thoughtfully reimagined spaces become the necessary vessel for the cultural, scientific, and artistic frontiers for the coming decades.

Join us as we redefine the boundaries of the built environment, committing to an architectural philosophy where the most sustainable building is often the one that already exists.

REGISTER HERE

Co-hosted by 1014, DWIH, and the American Council on Germany, and in partnership with University of Cologne New York Office

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Vitra for graciously hosting us for this evening of dialogue and discovery.

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When registering for Day II, you may either reserve seats for the entire day, or reserve seats for individual sessions. REGISTER HERE!

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2026

FUTURE VISIONS

8:15am – 10:15am | Breakfast Inspiration

Keynote | “What’s Next Is Now” — A Mindstate for Your Next Frontier
Frederik Pferdt, Author, former Google Chief Innovation Evangelist

In this opening keynote, Frederik G. Pferdt invites you into a simple but powerful shift:
your future doesn’t begin somewhere ahead. It begins within you.
Drawing on his work at Google, Stanford, and with leaders around the world, Frederik introduces a future-ready mindstate that reshapes how you see uncertainty, decide, and act.
Instead of waiting for clarity, you’ll learn to move with it.
Instead of following trends, you’ll begin creating what’s next.
This is not about predicting the future.
It’s about practicing how to shape it—through small, intentional choices that bring your better tomorrow to life.

Followed by a Future Visions discussion, featuring Frederik Pferdt and Christina von Messling (Foresight Factory London). Moderated by Felix Zeltner (Award winning journalist and Founder at Remote Daily)

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BREAK

10:30am – 11:45am | Technology & Climate: The Space Frontier I

Lecture and Conversation | The Internet of Animals: How Wildlife Can Help Forecast Disasters, Disease, and Environmental Change.

The collective wisdom of the Earth's animals provides an immense bio-treasure of unprecedented information for humankind. Learning from animals in the "Internet of Animals" can help us predict natural catastrophes, forecast global zoonotic disease spreads, or safeguard food resources while monitoring in situ every corner of the planet. The evolved senses of animals as well as technical sensors on animal-borne tracking tags enable local earth observations at highest spatial and temporal resolution. To protect and understand the ecosystem services provided by animals, we need to monitor individual animals seamlessly on a global scale. At the same time, these unprecedented life-history data of individual wild animals provide deep, novel insight into fundamental biological processes.

The ICARUS initiative, an international bottom-up, science-driven technology development of small, cheap and autonomous IoT (Internet of Things) sensing devices for animal movement and behavior is aiming towards this: wearables for wildlife. The resulting big data available in the open-source data base Movebank helps understand, monitor, predict and protect life on our planet.

Featuring Martin Wikelski (Director of the Department of Migration of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and Honorary Professor at the University of Konstanz), et al.

Co-hosted by 1014 and DWIH NY

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11:45am – 12:45pm | International Relations: The Space Frontier II

Panel Discussion | Who “Owns” the Moon? Establishing Norms in the New Space Race

As activity in space accelerates—from satellite constellations to lunar missions, resource extraction, and exploration beyond Earth—who sets the rules, and who stands to benefit? In this conversation, space law expert Stephan Hobe and astrophysicist Gioia Rau discuss controversial perspectives on governance and discovery to unpack spaceas a scientific frontier, as well as an emerging economic and political sphere.

With the Moon as a testing ground for a new space race, how are norms and rules being shaped in real time? Can existing legal frameworks keep pace with commercial ambitions, geopolitical interests, and technological breakthroughs? Who has the right to extract, benefit, and profit from space resources—and how are those benefits shared? And as we expand further into space, can it remain a global commons, or is competition for access and ownership already reshaping the rules?

Featuring Stephan Hobe (Director of the Institute for Air Law, Space Law and Cyber Law and Chair for Public Internation Law, European Law, European and International Economic Law at the University of Cologne) and Gioia Rau, (The Catholic University of America, Program Director at National Science Foundation)

Hosted by 1014 in partnership with The University of Cologne North America Office

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1:00pm – 2:30pm | Business & International Relations Luncheon: The Capital Frontier

Luncheon Fireside Chat | The Next Frontier of Capital: Investing in Innovation, Resilience, and Sustainable Progress

As the United States celebrates 250 years of democratic and economic development, the spirit of the Next Frontiers call, not only for technological exploration and scientific advancement but also, for bold thinking about how capital is mobilized to meet the defining challenges of our time. From post-war reconstruction and the strengthening of democratic market economies to today’s climate transition and digital transformation, the trans-Atlantic partnership between the United States and Germany has demonstrated how investment, innovation, and economic cooperation can drive long-term prosperity and stability. Increasingly, leading family offices are playing a catalytic role—deploying patient, values-aligned capital and partnering with institutions to accelerate innovation, scale solutions, and bridge public and private priorities.

In our conversation with Daniel Levine, Founder and Managing Partner of Tenfore Holdings, we will explore how capital markets and investors are evolving to meet the demands of a changing world. Drawing on his experience investing in data-driven and growth-oriented enterprises, Levine will discuss how innovation, financial transparency, and long-term strategic investment contribute to economic resilience and sustainable progress.

The program, introduced and moderated by Andrew Sollinger, CEO & publisher of Foreign Policy, will highlight finance not merely as an economic mechanism, but as a defining frontier of the 21st century—one in which the United States and Germany continue to collaborate in pursuit of shared prosperity and global stability.

Featuring Daniel Levine (Founder and Managing Partner of Tenfore Holdings), and Andrew Sollinger (CEO & Publisher of Foreign Policy)

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2:30pm – 4:00pm | Society & Democracy: The Stewardship Frontier

REGISTRATION COMING SOON

Hosted by 1014 in partnership with the American Council on Germany

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BREAK

4:30pm – 6:00pm | Arts & Culture: The Cultural Frontier

Panel Discussion | Storyliving the Future - How Immersive Experiences Reshape How We Connect and Imagine

As technology blurs the boundaries between physical and digital space, storytelling is becoming storyliving. In immersive environments, audiences no longer observe — they participate. The session explores how experiential design, spatial storytelling, and emerging technologies are redefining how we gather, connect, and imagine together, engaging all senses and triggering emotions such as empathy. In an era of rapid change, shared experience becomes cultural infrastructure for the next frontier.

Featuring Jasmin Jodry (Emmy award winning Creative Director), Stephanie Riggs (CEO & Co-Founder, Nia. Experience Innovator), Randy Weiner (Playwright and Producer - Masquerade, Sleep No More), and Erica Boecke (Founder, Liberty & Co. and Creator of XP Land)

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When registering for Day II, you may either reserve seats for the entire day, or reserve seats for individual sessions. REGISTER HERE!

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OUTLOOK

FALL 2026 PART II: DELIVERING THE NEXT FRONTIERS

How do we get from here to there?

Part II of the Next Frontiers symposium examines how discoveries and innovations are translated into tangible outcomes. From quantum computing and AI to synthetic biology, regenerative materials, neuroscience, and sports science, this one-day program explores the practical frontiers of human potential and technological advancement.

Across sessions, leading experts from the United States and Germany will highlight emerging applications, cutting-edge research, and forward-looking strategies that transform ideas into products, technologies, and experiences, demonstrating how the frontier is being delivered in practice and how collaboration drives progress.

Planned interactive sessions: The Industrial & Planetary Frontiers, The Bio-Human & Cognition Frontier, The Performance Frontier (Focus Sport)

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This symposium is in partnership with the American Council on Germany, The German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, and the University of Cologne New York Office, and is kindly supported by Vitra, the Goethe-Institut New York, and Deutsches Haus at NYU.