International cooperative arrangements have long been a matter of course and an established feature at Freie Universität Berlin as an “International Network University.” After all, the university was first founded with substantial support from institutions outside Germany.

Liaison Offices on Four Continents

The university’s international networking goals are supported by four international liaison offices, located in Cairo, Eastern Europe (Tbilisi, Georgia), New Delhi, and São Paulo. These offices provide support to scholars, scientists, and researchers affiliated with Freie Universität who wish to explore cooperative opportunities in these regions and serve as a point of contact for researchers, instructors, and students.

Studying and Teaching in an International Context

With more than 100 central university partnerships worldwide – especially in the regions of particular focus for the university: North America and Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe – and more than 300 agreements in place within the Erasmus+, Freie Universität offers its students a host of opportunities to experience life abroad. At the same time, the university is a sought-after destination for students from all over the world. The international character of Freie Universität is also evident in the FUBiS summer school program, the largest of its kind in Germany.

International Exchange of Scholars and Scientists

The university emphasizes international cooperation in its postgraduate education activities as well. Alongside exchanges of scholars and scientists within the central university partnerships and the many international summer schools and workshops offered, various graduate programs have built study or stay abroad phases into their doctoral courses. There are several dual degree programs offered jointly with selected universities.

The university’s current flagship program in this regard is an international research training group, Temporalities of Future. It is a cooperation between the Institute for Latin American Studies (LAI), several institutes of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Universität Potsdam, El Colegio de México, Univeridad Nacional Autónoma de México and Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social. Freie Universität is the host university.

Worldwide Research Collaboration

Freie Universität engages in global cooperative activities in the research sector, which are evident not only from the university’s many international projects receiving external funding, but also in its involvement in international networks. One good example of this is the German-Russian Interdisciplinary Science Center at Saint Petersburg State University, which is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and whose work is coordinated by Freie Universität Berlin with the inclusion of other German and Russian higher education institutions. Another example is a European alliance of universities, Una Europa, which is supported by the European Commission.