The Friedrich-Meinecke-Institute asks how global connections and communication can be further integrated. It also examines attempts to control and limit movements and flows, including not only human migration, but also the spread of diseases and the exchange of concepts and ideas. Yet another project considers how to implement global learning content and methods into teacher training. History serves as the orienting framework for the field of Global Development. This framework is then applied as part of Education for Sustainable Development and concretized and expanded by preparing teaching materials.

In the field of sinology at the East Asian Seminar, scholars look at the social and economic development of China, focusing especially on water and resource management and renewable energies. Another research project looks at the cooperation between local states and social organizations in Germany and China. Models of cooperation are identified and compared, and models for participation used by social organizations in politics examined. The Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies trains graduate students studying inner diversity, historical mutability, and global connectedness of predominantly Muslim cultures and communities. The Graduate School for East Asia Studies is an innovative center for research and teaching, which looks at political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics in East Asia. Researchers here examine institutions as well as rules, norms, and practices from global and regional perspectives.