Academic research increasingly addresses global and transnational challenges like climate change, pandemics, and both social and geopolitical polarization – issues that pose serious and even existential threats to our societies and life on Earth itself. To solely focus on research being undertaken in the "Global North" would do a great disservice to the search for solutions to these problems.

The Berlin Center for Global Engagement (BCGE) supports the four Berlin University Alliance (BUA) institutions in setting up international collaborations so that these embody the principles of global openness, reciprocity, and responsibility. These three principles define BUA’s approach to global engagement and form the cornerstone of efforts to advance the quality of internationalization in Berlin’s scientific landscape.

1. Openness

Global engagement first and foremost means that research at the four BUA member institutions should increasingly take the form of collaborative projects with partners in the "Global South". The BCGE does not apply strict geographical definitions to its understanding of the "Global South"; rather, the term refers to countries that occupy a marginalized position in global knowledge production for various reasons. This definition makes it possible to acknowledge existing and rapidly changing hierarchies in knowledge production and helps to overcome these challenges.

2. Reciprocity

Global engagement as a concept also implies that international cooperation must be fostered in such a way that all partners involved are able to pursue their own scientific interests and still each benefit equitably from joint research. However, an approach to cooperation based on reciprocity cannot be taken for granted in a global scientific system characterized by an unequal distribution of resources in terms of, for example, infrastructure, funding, and reputation. As an alliance that is situated in the "Global North", the BUA places great value on facilitating fair and mutually beneficial cooperative relationships.

3. Responsibility

Global engagement entails the BUA advocating for a responsible approach to international cooperation. Science in general and international science cooperation in particular must be protected from political interference, misuse, and instrumentalization. This approach has become highly relevant in a world where populist and authoritarian regimes have taken hold, international tensions are growing stronger, and research and innovation have become a battleground for geopolitical conflicts.