Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.

The Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V (FVB) comprises eight research institutes in Berlin. The institutes are active in the fields of natural sciences, life sciences and environmental sciences. They pursue common interests within the framework of a single legal entity while preserving their scientific autonomy.

As research institutes of national scientific importance, they are jointly funded by the German federal and state governments in accordance with Article 91b of the German Constitution. The institutes share an administrative infrastructure (Common Administration) and belong to the Leibniz Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft or Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz).

The institute directors and other senior scientists hold chairs at the Berlin/Brandenburg universities, thus ensuring close contact with teaching and research in higher education. The Forschungsverbund Berlin has a staff of roughly 1.200.

The institutes receive half of their basic funding from the German government (BMBF; Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and the other half from the state of Berlin (Berlin Senate Administration for Science, Research and Culture). Additional funding is generated by grants from other sources such as research support institutions and the industrial sector. In 2002, the budget of the Forschungsverbund Berlin amounted to 78,6 million Euro (not including the investments for buildings). Additional grants accounted for approximately 25 % of the budget. At the end of 2002, 343 FVB jobs were financed by income from such non-governmental sources, underlining that the institutes also play a significant role in terms of the labour-market situation in the Berlin area.

The institutes were founded in 1992 on the recommendation of the Science Council ("Wissenschaftsrat") subsequent to a thorough assessment of the former East German research institutes. Following a second evaluation in the years 1997/1998, the Science Council approved the unrestricted further funding of all eight institutes.