Science and research
Berlin offers the most tightly woven network of university and non-university research institutions in all of Germany - an excellent basis for interdisciplinary work and cooperation with industry.
Four universities and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, seven universities of applied sciences, four arts academies and over 30 private universities make Berlin one of the largest hubs for the sciences in Europe. For international top researchers, the two elite universities in the city – Freie Universität Berlin and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin – are among the most attractive research locations in Germany. Furthermore, 70 non-university research institutions are also active in the fields of basic and applied research. Among them are:
the Max Planck Society,
the Helmholtz Association,
the Leibniz Association, and
the Fraunhofer Society.
Roughly 200,000 people from around the world teach, research, work and study here. Roughly 20 percent of all students come from abroad, most of them from China, Russia and the USA. Many cooperative programs link Berlin’s institutes of higher education with partner institutes around the world.
Scientific know-how and qualified professionals are important to securing the private sector's innovative capacity and competitiveness as well as Berlin's attractiveness as a center of business.
Berlin has numerous modern Technology Centers and so called Zukunftsorte - Sites of the future - with tremendous development potential. Their science-oriented infrastructure makes them attractive locations for young, technology-oriented companies.
