For several years scientists at the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin have been working closely with researchers at the Department of Chemistry at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. In 2010 the two universities signed a cooperation agreement. These activities are part of an initiative by Freie Universität Berlin, aiming to increase cooperation with selected partner institutions in Poland and supported by the Center for International Cooperation of Freie Universität Berlin. Freie Universität already partners with the universities in Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw.

Michael Giersig is a professor in the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin and, according to the Thomson Reuters rankings from May 2011, one of the 100 best chemists and materials scientists in the world.

Alexander von Humboldt Honorary Research Fellowships have been awarded annually since 1996 and correspond to the Humboldt Research Awards that the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation grants to foreign scientists for research in Germany.