Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Maintaining traditions and shaping the future—these are the fundamental aims underlying all research and teaching at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU). The FSU is one of the venerable and most historic universities in Germany. Its foundation in 1558 meant political change and an open commitment to freedom of belief and consciousness. Since its opening, the University has put Jena on the map internationally as a centre of academia. Today, it is the largest higher education institution and the only comprehensive University in the German state of Thuringia, and it attracts students of all subjects, as well as scientists from all over the globe.

The FSU Jena still maintains the sense of innovation which characterized its early period, and today it views itself as a forward-looking hub for new research fields and emerging generations of scientists. As a result, the University traditionally thinks and operates on an interdisciplinary and international basis. Over 18,000 students currently study at the University in Jena, and a large proportion of these students have an international background. Moreover, Jena's character has been fundamentally shaped by the embedding of the University within the city's historically rich and diverse cultural landscape, as well as the emergence of the region as a hotbed for innovative and economically successful high-tech companies. As an active initiator in the fields of science, culture, and business, the University is committed to promoting the development of the city and region as a whole.