MATH+, the Berlin Mathematics Research Center, is a cross-institutional and transdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence where researchers will explore and further develop new approaches in application-oriented mathematics. Emphasis is placed on mathematical principles for using even larger amounts of data in life and material sciences, in energy and network research, and in the humanities and social sciences. The aim is to boost not only scientific progress, but also technological innovation and the comprehensive understanding of social processes.

MATH+ is a joint project of the three major universities in Berlin – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin – and integrates, both conceptually and structurally, the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics and the Zuse Institute Berlin. It continues the success stories of the renowned MATHEON Research Center and of the Berlin Mathematical School, which has been supported by the Excellence Initiative since 2006.

The consistently interdisciplinary orientation of MATH+ contributes to achieving progress in such important future topics as sustainable energy supply, individualized medicine and the analysis of social processes. Research is complemented by a transfer area whose task is to bring research results to industry and society as quickly as possible.

MATH+ wants to have a long-lasting impact on the development of mathematics.

However, the MATH+ research program goes far beyond technology-oriented research. The aim is also to enter into unusual and new collaborations on socially relevant topics, particularly with colleagues from the humanities and social sciences. In addition to specific research projects, a new creative element, the “Topic Development Lab”, is to be introduced: it creates intellectual freedom and offers a framework for very different formats. Here, world-renowned scientists from all disciplines will come together to explore new research topics. In addition, MATH+ itself will become an object of research: a sociological study will analyze the role of the Cluster of Excellence in the career development of young female mathematicians and how it affects career decisions and academic selection processes.

MATH+ aims to have a lasting impact on the development of mathematics in Germany and the world. For this reason, the highest importance is attached to education in studies and research. MATH+ is building on the further development of the internationally renowned Berlin Mathematical School (BMS), with the aim of closing the career gap between the postdoctoral phase and a professorship.

Spokespersons: Claudia Schillings (Freie Universität Berlin), Andrea Walther (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) und Sebastian Pokutta (Technische Universität Berlin) Applicant universities: Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin (coordinating university) Participating institutions: Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) Cooperation partners:

• The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW)
• Berlin Social Science Center (WZB)
• Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH)
• German Archaeological Institute (DAI)
• Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB)
• Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG)
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)