Strategic Research Fields: Excellent. Interdisciplinary. Innovative.
Freie Universität Berlin is home to research that is as excellent in its quality as it is far-reaching in its scope – from basic research on the fundamentals of science to the development of practical applications of research findings. Our research keeps the immense challenges that we are currently facing as a society and as a planet in focus as we plumb the depths of scientific and scholarly knowledge. To this end, we ensure that research is conducted with social responsibility in mind and with a view to actively shaping the future.
The university’s six strategic research fields speak directly to our innovative and interdisciplinary approach. These unique fields open up new perspectives by bringing together different research areas, methods, and modes of thinking. They establish a basis for advancing science and research into the future, while also reflecting Freie Universität Berlin’s diversity and interconnectedness as a full-spectrum research university or, as we say in German, “Volluniversität.” The strategic research fields create spaces where interdisciplinary innovation can flourish both here on campus and farther afield, for example, within the context of national and international partnerships or through dialogue with different communities.
The strategic research fields were developed through a collaborative process in 2025 and were conceived so that they would align with and underscore the five pillars of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and Berlin Research 50 (BR50).
In defining these strategic research fields, it was important to make sure that they are open and dynamic. This means that they can continue to evolve and interact with new scientific discoveries as well as respond to changes in society. In this way we are able to generate research that produces knowledge, makes waves, and assumes responsibility.
It is in this spirit that Freie Universität Berlin demonstrates its readiness to face the challenges of today and tomorrow – with excellence, interdisciplinarity, and innovation.
