The joint funding by the federal and state governments will be continued. The institute contributes significantly to Berlin's reputation as a hub for science in the field of mathematics. The assessment of the research results is outstanding.
Building of the Weierstrass Institute in Berlin-Mitte | Foto: Lothar M. Peter
The Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS) conducts application-orientated research with the aim of solving complex mathematical problems in science and industry. The range of research extends from mathematical modeling to the theoretical analysis of models and the numerical simulation of solutions. Areas of application include quantum and optoelectronics, the optimization of the distribution of different energy sources, biomedicine or the development of theoretical foundations for machine learning.
As an institute of the Leibniz Association, WIAS is jointly funded by the federal and state governments due to its supra-regional importance and national science policy interests. The basis for this is a regular evaluation of the institute by the Senate of the Leibniz Association based on the assessments of an external group of experts.
In its statement published on March 18, 2025 after completion of the current evaluation process, the Senate of the Leibniz Association recommends continuing the funding of WIAS. A reassessment of whether the funding criteria are still met is to take place after the standard cycle of seven years.
WIAS regularly achieves outstanding and internationally recognized research results, according to the Senate in its statement. It works closely with users from industry and research within the course of joint projects. Research software developed at WIAS is also made available to third parties via commercial licenses or open source. In addition, the institute coordinates the mathematics consortium MaRDI within the framework of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and thus provides an important service for the entire mathematical community.
Since the last evaluation, WIAS has developed in an outstanding manner. For example, it is playing a key role in the Cluster of Excellence Berlin Mathematics Research Center MATH+. Furthermore, the institute is now permanently home to the secretariat of the International Mathematical Union, which is responsible, for example, for awarding the Fields Medal, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics". The Senate emphasizes that the Institute continues to make a significant contribution to Berlin's reputation as a scientific hub in mathematics. It is important to fill vacant management positions soon. This also offers the opportunity to employ more female scientists at the institute.
WIAS considers the outstanding assessment to be confirmation of both the quality of its research (all research groups were rated at least good to very good, most even very good or excellent) and the concepts for its further development. It will continue on its current course and develop further. The Institute is determined to meet the challenges identified in the report with focus and vigor.
