Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena

What Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena does

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena is a public research university in Jena, Thuringia, Germany, operating as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts under the Free State of Thuringia. Founded in 1558, it enrolls approximately 17,000 students across more than 200 degree programs and employs approximately 10,000 academic, research, and administrative staff. Its research strategy is organized around three Excellence Strategy profile lines — "Light" (quantum optics and photonics, physical sciences), "Life" (biomedicine and environmental science), and "Liberty" (law, social sciences, and humanities) — and underpins degree instruction across all ten of the university's faculties.

The institution's operating stack combines a campus-management system (Friedolin), digital learning environments (Moodle, Mahara), electronic lab notebooks (eLabFTW), and a digital-asset management system (Canto). Its research portfolio spans quantum key distribution chip integration (PIC-PAM), solid-state lithium-sulfur battery development with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, supercapacitor materials derived from distillery residues, and Arctic soil microbiology. Active international and industry linkages include the University of Oxford, the University of Kentucky, Case Western Reserve University, the Northern Graphite Corporation USE-G program, and the METATUNE doctoral network under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Knowledge transfer is intermediated through the JENAINNOVATION transfer center.

Revenue is generated principally through block grants from the Free State of Thuringia and German federal Excellence Strategy funding, supplemented by competitive grants from the European Union (Horizon Europe, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, as well as third-party industry funding routed through the transfer center and continuing-education programs. Tuition is nominal for domestic and EU students with a semester fee covering a public-transport pass; non-EU tuition operates at €145 per semester, and separate fees are levied for language courses and continuing-education certificates.

Name

Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena

Legal name

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Website

https://uni-jena.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena is a German public research university founded in 1558, serving approximately 17,000 students across 200+ programs. It employs around 10,000 staff, conducts research under the "Light, Life, Liberty" Excellence Strategy profile, and operates transfer of technology through its innovation center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM-Focused Technical Universities (EDAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Academic research
• Technology transfer
• Continuing education
• Doctoral programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: Public university funded by German federal and Thuringian state government, student tuitionfees, research grants, and third-party funding from EU, German federal ministries, and industry partners
2. Technology Transfer: Technology transfer and intellectual property licensing through JENAINNOVATION transfer center
3. Continuing Education and Services: Continuing education programs, language courses, consulting services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena (FSU Jena) is a public research university in Germany that delivers higher education across more than 200 study programs, ranging from undergraduate to doctoral level, alongside applied and fundamental research. Its profile is built around the Light, Life, Liberty research profile, with organized research priorities in fields such as optics/photonics, life sciences and microbiology, and liberty/inequality research, and a strong translational pipeline linking these research strengths to industry partners.

Product overview

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena is a public research university offering higher education across more than 200 study programs. The university provides digital infrastructure services for its community, including the campus management system Friedolin, learning management platforms (Moodle, Mahara), electronic lab notebooks (eLabFTW), digital asset management (Canto), and the Schiller magazine publication. The institution's 'Light. Life. Liberty.' profile drives research excellence in physical sciences (Light), life sciences (Life), and social/humanities sciences (Liberty). The university collaborates with external research partners but does not offer commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate and graduate degree programs (200+ study programs) Accredited higher education degree programs at bachelor's and master's level spanning the university's full disciplinary portfolio, delivered to enrolled students.
• Doctoral programs and PhD training Structured doctoral training and supervision across the university's research profile areas, leading to a PhD awarded by FSU Jena.
• Continuing education programs Continuing and professional education courses for working professionals and post-qualification learners, delivered under the university's continuing-education mandate.
• Research collaboration and technology transfer / licensing Contract research, joint research projects, and licensing of university intellectual property provided to industry and public-sector partners, anchored in the Light, Life, Liberty research profile.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 17,000 students across diverse programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2026Joint bioenergetic analysis research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, modeling energy costs of Hannibal's 218 BC Alpine crossing route using elephant physiology data
• Case Western Reserve UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Eight-year study on Arctic soil microbiology analyzing massive gene exchange among microbes in permafrost ecosystems; identified approximately 2.1 million mobile genetic elements affecting carbon cycling functions
• Quantum Optics JenacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026PIC-PAM project integrating quantum key distribution functions onto silicon chip for quantum-secure communications; includes six partners from Thüringen region developing compact SFP-like modules for data centers and critical infrastructure
• University of KentuckycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Collaborative research transforming bourbon distillation waste (stillage) into high-performance carbon materials for supercapacitors using hydrothermal carbonization; hybrid supercapacitors demonstrated up to 25 times greater storage capacity
• METATUNE ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026European doctoral network under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (Horizon Europe); nine academic and industrial partners across Europe recruiting 15 PhD candidates for reconfigurable metasurface technologies research in 6G communications and autonomous vehicles
• Northern Graphite CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026USE-G three-year R&D program developing cleaner European graphite processing technology for lithium-ion battery anodes independent of Chinese supply chains; €1.70M total budget with €1.14M from German Federal Ministry; includes partners Rain Carbon Germany GmbH and H.C. Starck Tungstein GmbH
• Helmholtz-Zentrum BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Collaborative review on in-situ polymerization techniques for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries; research analyzes radical, ionic, and initiator-free polymerization approaches improving electrode-electrolyte integration
• Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Joint research on solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries; comprehensive review on polymerization techniques for battery applications
• EC2U (European Campus of City Universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Campus of City Universities - international university alliance providing student exchange and collaborative programs across European institutions
• Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu ErfurtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership recognizing Jena researchers for outstanding achievements in research, teaching, and science communication through membership in the academy

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Technical University of Munich (TUM): TUM is Germany's top technical university with strong STEM focus and deep industry partnerships. While Jena's quantum and photonics work overlaps with TUM's applied research portfolio, TUM operates at significantly larger scale and is more industry-embedded.
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich): LMU Munich is one of Germany's flagship public research universities and a top-tier Excellence Strategy institution. It is a broader incumbent peer that competes with Jena for top faculty, doctoral talent, and major third-party grants, but operates at materially larger scale.

Regional players

• Technische Universität Ilmenau: TU Ilmenau is a regional Thuringian public technical university with overlapping interests in photonics, communications, and microsystems. It is a regional peer that competes with Jena for Thuringian state funding and recruits from the same regional talent pool.

Direct peers

• Leipzig University: Leipzig is a fellow eastern German public research university with comparable size, similar founding era, and a comprehensive program portfolio. It competes with Jena for the same regional student and faculty pool in central/eastern Germany.
• University of Göttingen: Göttingen is a public research university of similar vintage, scale, and Excellence Strategy status, with strong research output across life sciences, physics, and social sciences. It is one of the closest structural peers to Jena in the German research university landscape.
• Heidelberg University: Heidelberg is one of Germany's oldest and most prominent public research universities, also part of the Excellence Strategy with broad graduate and professional programs. It is a direct peer to Jena in scale, public funding model, and broad-spectrum research profile.
• University of Freiburg: Freiburg is an Excellence Strategy public research university with a comparable comprehensive profile and scale. It is a close structural peer to Jena in terms of governance, funding mix, and broad-spectrum research scope.
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: FAU is an Excellence Strategy public research university of comparable size with a strong engineering, natural sciences, and medical profile. It serves as a useful structural peer for Jena in measuring research output, third-party funding capture, and technology transfer performance.

Others

• Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT Jena): IPHT is a Leibniz Association research institute in Jena focused on photonic technologies, directly relevant to the university's 'Light' profile line. It is a research ecosystem peer and frequent collaboration partner.
• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (Jena): Co-located in Jena, the Max Planck Institute is a non-university basic research partner that shares talent and research infrastructure with Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. It is an ecosystem peer illustrating the strength of Jena's research cluster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniJena
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniJena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-jena
• Instagraminstagram.com/unijena
• TikToktiktok.com/@unijena
• Xx.com/unijena

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena