The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) has cemented its outstanding reputation within the German research landscape as the first university consortium to receive the title of “excellent” as part of the German federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy. By awarding this title to the consortium, consisting of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Excellence Committee has endorsed Berlin’s strategic potential as a hub of knowledge and innovation for the second time.

Professor Günter M. Ziegler, president of Freie Universität Berlin and official spokesperson of the Berlin University Alliance, celebrated the good news and extended his thanks to the wider university community:

“So far there has not been another project quite like the Berlin University Alliance in all of Germany. Four major institutions – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin – are working together to achieve common strategic and long-term goals with an astounding degree of openness. This kind of collaboration far exceeds the type of shared work done in classic partnerships: It thrives on our deep sense of togetherness, which in turn comes from us constantly sharing ideas, learning from one another, and approaching projects as a unified force.

I hope you feel as I do that this success is a win for you, too! In the last few years, colleagues and students from all across the university have made huge contributions to the success of the Berlin University Alliance – from research, teaching, student projects, infrastructure projects, and strategic initiatives, to academic exchange and interactions that have gone beyond the traditional institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Your dedication, creativity, and willingness to collaborate contributed significantly to bringing us this far and achieving this milestone today.

It is this spirit of curiosity and openness that breathes life into the Berlin University Alliance – as well as our conviction that we can accomplish more when we work together than if we work alone. The fact that we can now continue down this path together for years to come opens up new opportunities for us, for our university, for our partners, and for Berlin as an important location for research and science.

Thank you for your contributions to our success!”