The Berlin Mathematics Research Center MATH+ is a cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary cluster of excellence in which scientists research and further develop new approaches in application-oriented mathematics. The focus is on mathematical foundations for the use of ever larger amounts of data in the life and material sciences, energy and network research or the humanities and social sciences. In addition to scientific progress, the aim is to promote technological innovation and a comprehensive understanding of social processes.

The three major Berlin universities - Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) and Technische Universität Berlin (TU) - as well as the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS) and the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) are involved in MATH+. It continues the success stories of the renowned research center MATHEON and the world-renowned Berlin Mathematical School (BMS) as a graduate school of MATH+.

From January 2019 to October 2024, the Cluster of Excellence was headed by Michael Hintermüller (HU/WIAS), Christof Schütte (FU/ZIB) and Martin Skutella (TU). In October 2024, the General Assembly elected a new team of chairs: Sebastian Pokutta (TU/ZIB), Andrea Walther (HU) and Claudia Schillings (FU) now represent the research center with its tasks and goals.

“Berlin is internationally renowned for its cutting-edge mathematical research and MATH+ represents the entire breadth of mathematics in Berlin, from pure theory to a wide variety of mathematical fields of application,” emphasizes Sebastian Pokutta. He adds: “Our aim is to use mathematics to initiate new innovative developments in selected future fields. The consistently interdisciplinary focus of MATH+ will contribute to making progress in such important future topics as sustainable energy supply, individualized medicine and the analysis of social processes.

“Due to its interdisciplinary focus, our research aims to overcome boundaries and solve practical problems in collaboration with partners from various scientific disciplines, industry and society,” explains Andrea Walther. This also includes the promotion of public-private partnerships.

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

However, the MATH+ research program goes far beyond technology-oriented research. “We want to use applied mathematics to make progress on pressing challenges - such as climate change, threats to public health, mobility and technological transformations. This also leads to unusual and new collaborations on socially relevant topics, especially with colleagues from the humanities and social sciences,” explains Claudia Schillings from Freie Universität Berlin.

In addition, MATH+ itself is 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 training in studies and research. With the Berlin Mathematical School (BMS), MATH+ has further developed an internationally renowned graduate school with the aim of closing the career gap between the postdoctoral phase and a professorship.

Spokespersons: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Pokutta (Technische Universität Berlin und Zuse-Institut Berlin); Prof. Dr. Andrea Walther (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin); Claudia Schillings (Freie 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)