Panel discussion

The Challenge of Demographic Change – How Our Society Is Changing

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Rostock, Germany, September 10, 2026

To mark its 30th anniversary, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock invites you to short pitches and a panel discussion on September 10, 2026, starting at 16:30.

The event will be held in German. 

The Challenge of Demographic Change – How Our Society Is Changing 
📅September 10, 2026
🕑16:30
📍Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)

This event will focus on the demographic challenges that Germany and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will face in the coming years — such as an aging population and public health, skills shortages, and migration — as well as potential policy options and solutions to these challenges. Following the panel discussion, we cordially invite you to join us for drinks and light refreshments to round out the evening. This will provide an opportunity for interesting conversations in a relaxed atmosphere.

The event will be moderated by Dr. Andreas Edel, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and Executive Secretary of the European research network Population Europe. Eva-Maria Kröger, the mayor of the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock, will give the welcome address.The following presentations by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research are scheduled:

• Prof. Dr. Mikko Myrskylä: Can education mitigate the consequences of demographic change?
• Maxi Kniffka, MA: Obstetric care at risk — closures of maternity wards in rural areas
• Dr. Jan Einhoff: Working life — how long do we work compared to other European countries?
• Dr. Athina Anastasiadou: New Data Sources for Tracking Migration and Refugee Flows

The event will take place at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Konrad-Zuse-Str. 1, 18057 Rostock. Participation is possible both in person and online. We expect guests from academia, business, and politics and look forward to an open and stimulating exchange.

Registration

You can register to participate in person or online here.

If you have any questions about the event, please send an email to podiumsdiskussion2026@demogr.mpg.de.