Berlin University Alliance
Berlin University Alliance – Crossing Boundaries toward an Integrated Research Environment
The strategy “Berlin University Alliance – Crossing Boundaries toward an Integrated Research Environment” was the first successful joint proposal of a university consortium in the Universities of Excellence funding line. Founded in 2018, the consortium partners in the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) are Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin, together with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Under the title of its original funding proposal, “Crossing Boundaries toward an Integrated Research Environment”, the BUA has brought together the complementary strengths of its consortium partners in the first funding phase and pursued five strategic objectives. The research profile of the consortium was shaped by its interdisciplinary “Grand Challenge Initiatives” and seven Clusters of Excellence.
In the second funding phase starting in 2026, the BUA hosts five Clusters of Excellence and builds on its established foundations, with six fields of action and expanded cross-cutting themes forming the new strategic framework. A central objective is the consolidation of Berlin as a science and innovation space: together with the non-university research institutions of Berlin Research 50 (BR50), twelve research focus areas have been condensed into five joint “profile lines” intended to structure a Berlin-wide research agenda. Through strategic partnerships, including the Oxford Berlin Research Partnership, the BUA further strengthens its international ties to advance Berlin’s position as a leading European research hub.
Further Information
Funded Clusters of Excellence
