Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nurnberg

Founded in 1743, FAU has a rich history. It is a strong research university with an international perspective and one of the largest universities in Germany, with 39.780 students, 265 degree programmes, 4,000 academic staff (including over 579 professors), 177,6 million euros (2016) third-party funding, and 500 partnerships with universities all over the world. Teaching at the University is closely linked to research and focuses on training students in both theory and practice to enable them to think critically and work independently. The research itself also strikes the perfect balance between a theoretical approach and practical application.

FAU’s outstanding research and teaching is reflected in top positions in both national and international rankings, as well as the high amount of DFG funding which its researchers are able to secure.

Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) was founded on November 4th, 1743. While retaining a strong sense of tradition, the University has developed into a leading institution offering one of the broadest spectrums of courses available at any German university. Our goals at FAU are to specialise in areas of research that will shape the future and to create a network of interdisciplinary co-operation between technical, scientific and traditional subjects.

FAU is one of the leading research-focused universities in Germany. We work actively to build on this position and strive to guarantee freedom in research as a prerequisite for scientific advancement. FAU is committed to the unity of research and education. The research we undertake is oriented towards both theory and its practical applications. At FAU we are constantly developing new areas of expertise of particular significance for the future of science and society. Established scientific and ethical standards guide our research: methods are transparent and newly gained knowledge is discussed and debated in open exchanges with the academic community and the wider public.

FAU recognises its social responsibility and continually strives to optimise teaching and learning at the University. A key focus is placed on providing our students with an education based on knowledge and the methods required to apply this knowledge. We educate our students to be critical, independent individuals. FAU advocates the principle of lifelong learning. Our goal is to enable people to update, enrich and extend their knowledge at any stage in life through a structured and expanding range of professional development courses.

One aim of particular importance to us at FAU is to provide researchers in the early stages of their academic careers with the highest level of support and skills. This means, above all, giving young researchers the opportunity to take on responsibility and to conduct research independently. Professors at FAU serve as sources of support and role models in setting standards.

Scientific progress and interdisciplinary research are rooted in subject-specific expertise of the highest quality. FAU specifically promotes exchange between the disciplines, thus maximising the potential for innovative scientific progress and the creation of new study constellations.

FAU has an outward-looking, international perspective and is committed to promoting mutual understanding between nationalities and cultures. We support knowledge transfer and mobility, as well as personal exchange in research and teaching. Students, teachers and researchers from across the globe have the opportunity to contribute to and be an active part of university life.

The strength of the local connections established by FAU can be seen in the diverse range of co-operations with businesses and research institutes, as well as with educational and cultural institutions throughout the region. FAU constitutes a seedbed for successful business start-ups and enriches cultural diversity.

The achievement of equal opportunities for all employees, male and female, is of the utmost importance to us at FAU. Nobody is discriminated against or disadvantaged on the basis of gender, nationality, religious beliefs, social background or disability. FAU strives to offer a balance between study, work and family.

FAU maintains a thriving alumni network of former students and professors, as well as friends and supporters: international, intergenerational and interdisciplinary.

FAU benefits from a modern university management structure. Organisational, management and decision-making structures and processes in research, teaching and administration are constantly adapted to meet the demands of modern and successful knowledge management: management in the service of science.

The University in Erlangen was established in the spirit of enlightened absolutism. The function of German universities in the eighteenth century was to serve the needs of the many principalities by making provisions for the education and training of civil servants to enhance the reputation of the princes.

This was also the prime source of motivation for Margrave Friedrich of Brandenburg-Bayreuth who founded the Friedrichs-Universität in his principality in 1743 with the aid of Margravess Wilhelmine and the first chancellor of the University, Daniel de Superville.

It was the third university to be established in Franconia, after the universities of Altdorf and Würzburg, and was based in the imperial city of Erlangen in the former knight’s academy located on Hauptstraße. The official opening of the University took place on 4 November 1743, an event which is still commemorated every year at the dies academicus.