The Berlin University Alliance is dedicating an initial stage of the Grand Challenge Initiative to the discussion of social cohesion. Both a descriptive and normative term, social cohesion has been at the center of vigorous debates on democracy, the future of technology and industry, diversity, heritage, migration, social and economic transformation, environmental and resource conflicts, digital spaces, resistance, resilience, health and much more. At the interface between academic perspectives – the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering sciences – social cohesion is a highly topical research area that requires innovative perspectives as well as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary access points. To comprehensively examine social cohesion requires integrated collaboration by a multitude of players from within and beyond research.