Interdisciplinary Research

Several clusters of excellence and graduate schools were selected in the German Excellence Initiative in 2007. Source: Clemens Langner

Research Profile of Freie Universität Berlin

Ever since Freie Universität Berlin was first founded, the university has stood for an open, international outlook and socially responsible cross-border research and teaching activities. In addition to the university’s significant role within the region and in Germany, Freie Universität is also committed to these aims at the global level. Research concentrations focusing on topics such as biodiversity, the water and energy supplies of the future, central climate change, and high-performance technologies are a high priority at Freie Universität.

All of the research performed at Freie Universität is marked by several factors: excellence within disciplines and interdisciplinary excellence, a broad variety of academic and scientific networks, and areas of focus that enjoy high international visibility and competitiveness. Providing generous and targeted support for junior scholars and scientists is also one of the central aims of Freie Universität.

The university has established particular areas of research focus in several cooperative initiatives, such as those involving linguistics, art, social studies, and empirical psychology (in the Languages of Emotion excellence cluster); archaeology, ancient studies, and Earth sciences (in the Topoi excellence cluster); and the area studies (North American Studies, Islamic Studies, East Asian Studies). Each of the above-mentioned excellence clusters pools the academic skills and strengths of more than 20 disciplines represented at Freie Universität and also participates in various events and initiatives for public outreach purposes.

Research as Part of Academic and Scientific Networks

The scholars and scientists at Freie Universität Berlin identify and work on socially relevant global issues that will affect our future. With this aim in mind, they work together as part of academic and scientific networks with regional, national, and international partners from academia, the business sector, politics, culture, and society.

One particular area of emphasis in the university’s interdisciplinary research activities is its cooperation with scientific institutions not affiliated with the university (including four Max Planck Institutions) at the Dahlem campus.

Research Performance

The high quality of the research activities at Freie Universität is confirmed by the university’s outstanding placement in various rankings of higher education institutions, such as the CHE University Ranking, the Funding Ranking of the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the QS World University Ranking.

Freie Universität hosts five collaborative research centers (CRCs). The university participates in nine other CRCs and is involved in eleven CRCs at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Freie Universität currently hosts six research units (one of which operates jointly with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), in Potsdam) and participates in 13 others. Three research units are coordinated from the Benjamin Franklin Campus of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Freie Universität is also part of the DFG research center Matheon – Mathematics for Key Technologies.

The university’s excellent research performance is reflected in the amount of external funding raised, which has been rising for years, and in the numerous major research awards and distinctions granted to members of the university faculty and research staff, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize and Advanced Investigator Grants.