The demands on research security are growing - and with them the need for guidance and robust structures at universities. The conference brings together universities from across Germany to exchange experiences and discuss key questions: How do universities implement research security? Where do the challenges lie? Which solutions have proven effective? At the same time, the conference addresses the question of where binding frameworks are appropriate and where flexible approaches demonstrate their strengths. With this event, Berlin University Alliance underscores its commitment to developing innovative responses to global challenges and providing impetus for the further development of the German and international research landscape.

“International networking is a fundamental prerequisite for excellent research - at the same time, it is the responsibility of universities to identify risks in the academic sphere and find responsible ways to address them. As Berlin University Alliance, we view research security as a strategic issue for the future. With projects such as the BUA Forum on Diplomatic Resilience, we are therefore developing structures that enable academic openness, strengthen accountability, and increase the resilience of the academic system as a whole,” says Prof. Dr. Günter M. Ziegler, spokesperson for Berlin University Alliance and President of Freie Universität Berlin. Ziegler will deliver the opening remarks at the conference, and the keynote address will be given by Dr. Jens-Peter Gaul, Secretary General of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).

With this conference, Berlin University Alliance is acting on recommendations from the German Science and Humanities Council. In 2025, Germany’s most important advisory body on science policy for the federal and state governments proposed a tiered model of responsibility for research security (link in German), under which researchers assess the risks of their work, universities provide appropriate advisory and support structures, and a national platform offers additional guidance.

Berlin University Alliance

Berlin University Alliance – a consortium of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin – positions Berlin as one of the world’s leading knowledge- and innovation hubs, where collaboration across disciplines and sectors is deeply integrated. Together, this ecosystem contributes to advancing major global transformations. Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space and the State of Berlin under the German Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

Further information

• on Program and Rgistration of the conference “Forschungssicherheit gestalten“ (in German)

• on the BUA Forum for Diplomatic Resilience
• on the Berlin Center for Global Engagement (BCGE) der Berlin University Alliance

Press Contact

• Suhana Reddy, Head of Communication of Berlin University Alliance, Email: suhana.reddy@berlin-university-alliance.de

Contact BUA Forum on Diplomatic Resilience:

• Christiane Wolf Suzuki, Project Coordinator „BUA Forum on Diplomatic Resilience“ at the Berlin Center for Global Engagement (BCGE) of Berlin University Alliance, Email: c.wolf.suzuki@fu-berlin.de