Our mission statement

We are a democratic and cosmopolitan university that upholds the freedom of science, research, and teaching. We value cooperation and solidarity, and we actively promote participation, respect, and diversity. Our core values are care and responsibility for a sustainable future. These values reflect a holistic ethic that understands the environment as an equal partner in our shared world. One of our central commitments is therefore supporting society’s transformation towards sustainability. We are deeply convinced that ecological and social systems must remain intact, functional, and capable of supporting future generations, and that they should be developed further within non-negotiable ecological limits in order to meet fundamental social needs.

Our academic work, grounded in our values and convictions, follows the principles of good scientific practice and takes place within a culture of critical and constructive dialogue. In this way, we pursue insights that are ethically informed and that provide practical benefits for the common good. We draw on the rich tradition of the Eberswalde region and pursue a sustainability commitment that is firmly rooted in our local context.

Our university is a driving force for sustainable development in higher education and in society. For this reason, the principle of sustainability is firmly embedded in all our degree programmes. Drawing on our broad academic expertise, we address societal and disciplinary challenges from a sustainability perspective and work in an applied manner on forward-looking social, technological, and systemic sustainability innovations. To this end, we conduct disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research, are well connected internationally, and collaborate in partnership with networks across science, business, politics, public administration, and civil society. With our holistic institutional approach, we link teaching, research, and knowledge exchange in close cooperation with university administration, enabling us to develop practical and robust model solutions for a sustainable future. In this innovative environment, our students acquire subject-specific skills and the competencies needed to shape change through education for sustainable development. As graduates, they are both able and willing to take on responsibility. For this reason, we also actively encourage social engagement in learning and teaching. Together, we shape the university as a place where everyone feels welcome. Thanks to our clear profile, we are visible locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, and are an attractive place to study and work.

In teaching and research, we develop solutions for sustainability transformation. This makes our university an important point of reference in the field of sustainability. Teachers, students and researchers work together with practitioners to develop and test ways to create a sustainable world that is orientated towards the common good. Alongside strategies of consistency and efficiency, we place a strong focus on sufficiency, enabling natural resources to be used responsibly and distributed in a spirit of solidarity. We reflect self-critically on our own actions. We provide space for open discussion and ask how we, as individuals, as a university, and as a society, can meet our responsibilities to current and future generations and act effectively.