Private company

Einstein Foundation Berlin

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons³

German foundation

The Einstein Foundation Berlin is a foundation based in Berlin, Germany "that aims to promote science and research of top international caliber in Berlin and to establish the city as a centre of scientific excellence. " It does this through various objectives, including the cross-institutional promotion of Berlin research projects, the appointment of outstanding scientists to Berlin, targeted support for young researchers, and better cooperation between university, non-university, and private sector institutions.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

May 11, 2009Founded¹

Industryadvancement of science and research¹
HeadquartersBerlin¹
Websitewww.einsteinfoundation.de
Legal formprivate foundation¹

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The Einstein Foundation Berlin is a foundation based in Berlin, Germany "that aims to promote science and research of top international caliber in Berlin and to establish the city as a centre of scientific excellence." It does this through various objectives, including the cross-institutional promotion of Berlin research projects, the appointment of outstanding scientists to Berlin, targeted support for young researchers, and better cooperation between university, non-university, and private sector institutions.²

The story

History

The Einstein Foundation was established by the city and state of Berlin in 2009.

Einstein Foundation Award

In 2021, the Einstein Foundation launched the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research. Since then, the foundation has annually honored contributions that increase the validity of research and science, thereby promoting their social benefit. Examples of award-worthy activities include enabling free access to research worldwide (Open science), establishing equal international cooperation ("Big Team Science"), and commitment to high ethical standards.

The prize, worth a total of 500,000 euros, is awarded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin together with the QUEST Center for Responsible Research at the Berlin Institute of Health in the Charité (BIH) in three categories: The "Individual Award" honors researchers or small research groups with 200,000 euros each, and the "Institutional Award" honors organizations and scientific institutions. The "Early Career Award" honors innovative ideas from scientists at the beginning of their careers with 100,000 euros.

The Einstein Foundation Award is financed by the Damp Foundation over a period of ten years and is additionally supported by the State of Berlin. The publishers Nature Portfolio and Public Library of Science (PLOS), as well as the Max Planck Foundation and the Berlin University Alliance, support the Einstein Foundation Berlin in the international establishment and implementation of the award.

Einstein Foundation Award winners

2021:

Individual Award — Paul Ginsparg

Institutional Award — Center for Open Science

Early Career Award — ManyBabies 5

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2022:

Individual Award — Gordon Guyatt

Institutional Award — Psychological Science Accelerator

Early Career Award — Ape Research Index

2023:

Individual Award — Yves Moreau

Institutional Award — Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences

Early Career Award — Responsible Research Assessment/Anne Gärtner

From Wikipedia’s article on Einstein Foundation Berlin, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

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Cooperation with the Berlin University Alliance

The cooperation between the Einstein Foundation Berlin and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) has resulted in programs such as the Einstein BUA/Oxford Visiting Fellow program. This enables visiting researchers from the University of Oxford to get involved in Berlin research networks. In addition, the Einstein BUA profile professorship strengthens the BUA's competencies in the defined Grand Challenges by appointing professors. The Einstein Foundation's funding of Einstein Research Units also supports the work on scientifically and socially relevant topics within the Grand Challenges.

Individuals/research fellows

Cecilia Clementi — chemist

Channing Der — microbiologist

Eduard Feireisl — mathematician

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Katharina Galor — art historian and archeologist

Adele Goldberg — linguist (2010–2014)

David H. Gutmann — neurologist (2017–2022)

Stefan Hecht — chemist

Brian Kobilka – chemist (winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry)

Yannís G. Kevrekidis — chemist (2016–2018)

Edvard Moser – neuroscientist (winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)

Juri Rappsilber — chemist

Stefan Rinke — historian (2013–2015)

Richard J. Samuels — political scientist

Surjo R. Soekadar — physician, neuroscientist, and development aid worker (2018)

Thomas C. Südhof – biochemist (winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)

Viola Vogel — biophysicist