As one of Europe’s leading research universities, Freie Universität Berlin sees itself now and in the future as an academic institution with global reach: People from more than 100 nations study and work at the university, and its alumni make an impact across the globe in scientific fields and beyond. For many students and almost all researchers, stays abroad are obviously a part of their education and work. Internationality has played an important role in the university’s research and teaching since its founding in 1948. The idea and lived reality of internationality has shaped the everyday experience of all university members and has been a key part of the university’s remarkable history.
Freie Universität Berlin views itself as an international university. As an educational establishment it prides itself on its willingness to assume responsibility on a regional, national, and global scale. The university sees its founding principles of “Veritas, Iustitia, Libertas” not as mere words, but as values shaping its goals and strategies now and in the future. By connecting and educating people across the world; by campaigning for a global development based on sustainability and social justice, by engaging with current global challenges and integrating global perspectives in its research and teaching. Freie Universität Berlin is a cosmopolitan institution, and working internationally is an everyday experience.
Supporting every member of the university to implement this internationality in research, in teaching and learning, and in the workplace is therefore integral to the university’s philosophy. The benefits can be immense, and as a result, university structures must give every member of the university – whether in research, teaching, or administration – the chance and the ability to think transnationally and take responsibility for the global impact of their actions. We call this “the global campus.”
The International Strategy 2025 builds on the work and outcomes of the previous strategy paper 2020, and on structures and formats that have come out of the Excellence Strategy and other university-wide processes. Its aim is to consolidate achievements in the area of internationality in every area of the university and to expand them to shape the future of Freie Universität Berlin as a global university. With concrete measures in the four areas of university culture, research, teaching and education as well as staff it sets new accents for future development.
You can download the complete Freie Universität Berlin’s internationalization strategy here.
