Around 400 stakeholders from the Berlin Knowledge and Innovation Community gathered at the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) to celebrate the renewed funding for Berlin University Alliance as part of the federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy. The BUA Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) provided an opportunity to reflect on shared achievements, express gratitude, and make plans for the future.

The plenary hall of the Akademie der Künste with its glass façade facing Pariser Platz, offered a view of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s landmark. As the evening light began to fall, the room filled with people; conversations broke out in small groups, shifted from one spot to another, and continued. The atmosphere was marked by many encounters, brief reunions, and new connections. Posters and screens provided insights into projects from the Excellence alliance and offered topics for conversation. The celebration—moved from summer to spring specifically to mark the continuation of funding—provided an atmospheric setting to thank the many participants for their commitment and to shape the transition into the new funding phase together.

A jazz band set the tone for the evening. Dr. Martin Mann, Executive Director of Berlin University Alliance, delivered the official welcome address. Prof. Dr. Günter M. Ziegler, Spokesperson for Berlin University Alliance and President of Freie Universität Berlin, focused on the further development of the joint structures in the coming years and on the achievements made together. “Perhaps,” Ziegler invited the audience, “we could vote on which statements from the Committee of Experts' report on the evaluation of the Excellence alliance we like best?”

“Through the consistent implementation of its proposal ‘Crossing Boundaries toward an Integrated Research Environment’, BUA has established a compelling model that is, to date, unique in the German university landscape on this scale.”

“A strong culture of collaboration and mutual trust has developed among the consortium partners—a transformative cultural shift in Berlin’s higher education landscape that should be regarded as an outstanding achievement of the consortium and as a central foundation for the future development of Berlin as a center of science.”

“The BUA is strongly encouraged to further develop its considerable transformative potential and to make targeted use of its prominent location in Berlin to assume a leading role in initiating fundamental systemic changes at the national and international levels.”

Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health, and Long-Term Care for the State of Berlin, also had words of praise: As the first consortium of excellence in Germany, Berlin University Alliance has played a pioneering role since its founding in 2019; this initiative has since gained international recognition as the “Berlin Model” and opens up unique prospects for the future for all of Berlin. Over the next seven years, the focus will now be on expanding this spirit of collaboration in Berlin and across Europe.

In brief on-stage discussions, key leaders of the excellence alliance provided insights into their areas of work and plans for the coming years. The on-stage program concluded with a collective thank you to everyone who has supported the work of BUA in recent years, and a group photo captured the spirit of collaboration.

The evening then moved into the open-house portion. Over a buffet, drinks, and music, new groups continually formed to chat, and people danced to the DJ’s beats in the plenary hall with a view of the Brandenburg Gate glowing in the evening light.

We would like to thank all guests and contributors, as well as our photographer Stefan Klenke, who took the photos for this report.