The work of the BCGE is subdivided into three distinct fields:

1. Promoting collaborative research with the "Global South"

The BCGE promotes collaborative research projects between BUA researchers and their partners in the Global South. The center develops its own funding formats and supports networking within the BUA to create joint project initiatives with the Global South. The remarkably positive response to calls for proposals issued by the center has demonstrated an undeniable interest in cooperation with the Global South among those in Berlin’s scientific community.

2. Engaging in science diplomacy

International cooperation in research and science does not happen in a vacuum, but is instead strongly influenced by institutional and political frameworks, ranging from visa policies to unequal access to research infrastructure. The BCGE understands science diplomacy as key to shaping better conditions for international cooperation. The center establishes links between scientific communities in Berlin as well as with stakeholders from outside of universities in order to identify the limits and potential of global cooperation and develop recommendations. This enables the BUA to make a contribution to current debates on science diplomacy, which are frequently conducted without sufficient input from universities

3. Reflecting critically on current trends of internationalization

Approaches to internationalization at institutions of higher education have undergone radical changes in recent years. Topics that would have been considered of secondary importance in Germany ten years ago – like solidarity with at-risk researchers, protecting research findings from misuse, and asymmetries in the global system of knowledge/science – are now top priorities for universities. New debates and positions continue to emerge. The BCGE places great importance on obtaining new insights into these developments and putting different standpoints up for discussion.