SCRIPTS Berlin

What SCRIPTS Berlin does

SCRIPTS Berlin is a publicly funded Cluster of Excellence at Freie Universität Berlin, established in 2019 and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the German Excellence Strategy. It is a non-profit academic research consortium, not a commercial entity; its sole revenue stream is the DFG Excellence grant. The cluster investigates why liberal ideas and institutions—collectively termed the "liberal script"—are increasingly contested globally, drawing on political science, sociology, international relations, law, history, and area studies. Research is organized into five interdisciplinary Research Units: Borders, Orders, Temporalities, Technology Inequality and Freedom, and Science. The consortium partners with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Hertie School, the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), and operates a network of 21+ international partner institutions.

The cluster's core empirical asset is the PALS (Public Attitudes towards the Liberal Script) comparative survey, which in Wave 1 (2021/2022) collected responses from over 50,000 individuals across 26 countries, with Wave 2 in progress. Knowledge outputs include the SCRIPTS Working Paper Series, SCRIPTS Arguments, peer-reviewed scientific publications, the SCRIPTS Blog & Think Pieces, the annual SCRIPTS Forum (2026 theme: AI governance), and a Short Talks Series. Cross-cutting infrastructure platforms include the Data and Methodology Center (DMC) for methodological consulting and data archiving, the Knowledge Exchange Lab (KEL) for policy and public engagement, and the Center for Career Development (CCD) housing the Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS) doctoral programme. All outputs are freely accessible under an open-access model; there is no commercial pricing.

The go-to-market model is community-led rather than commercial: engagement with academic peers occurs via peer-reviewed publication and conferences; with policy makers and practitioners via the KEL (including partnerships with the German Federal Foreign Office and recent dialogue with the ASEAN Secretary-General); and with the general public via public lectures, the SCRIPTS Forum, social media (LinkedIn, Bluesky, YouTube), and innovative science-communication formats such as the Wissensskulptur. Director is Prof. Dr. Tanja A. Börzel. SCRIPTS entered its second DFG funding period in September 2026, securing multi-year continuity of operations.

Name

SCRIPTS Berlin

Legal name

Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS (Contestations of the Liberal Script)

Website

https://scripts-berlin.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCRIPTS Berlin is a publicly funded Cluster of Excellence at Freie Universität Berlin studying global contestations of liberal democracy through five interdisciplinary Research Units and the PALS comparative survey across 26 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Reference (Public Administration, Regulatory Guidance) (EDAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Academic research consortium
• Comparative survey research
• Interdisciplinary social science
• Democratic resilience studies
• Political science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder since 2019. This is institutional research funding for academic research activities, not commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SCRIPTS Berlin is a publicly funded Cluster of Excellence that conducts interdisciplinary social science research on contestations of the liberal script (liberal democracy, freedom, equality, pluralism). It produces academic research outputs through five thematic Research Units, operates the PALS comparative global mass survey across 26 countries, and disseminates findings via working papers, scientific publications, an annual Forum, and a Knowledge Exchange Lab linking research with policy and public debate.

Product overview

SCRIPTS (Contestations of the Liberal Script) is a research consortium focused on analyzing why liberal ideas and institutions are increasingly contested worldwide. It is not a commercial product company but a Cluster of Excellence funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2019 and hosted by Freie Universität Berlin. The cluster's 'products' are primarily knowledge outputs: the SCRIPTS Forum (annual conference and seminar format), the PALS comparative global survey, the Data and Methodology Center (DMC), the Working Paper Series, the SCRIPTS Blog & Think Pieces, SCRIPTS Arguments, Scientific Publications, the Knowledge Exchange Lab (KEL), and the Center for Career Development/Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS). These work together as an integrated research programme organized around five thematic Research Units (Borders, Orders, Technology/Inequality/Freedom, Temporalities, Science) plus cross-cutting platforms for data, publication, and public engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Data and Methodology Center (DMC): Provides methodological pluralism and critical reflection on data and methods, supports data management and accessibility
• Center for Career Development (CCD)
• Knowledge Exchange Lab (KEL)
• PALS Survey (Public Attitudes towards the Liberal Script)
• Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS)

Products and services

• PALS Survey (Public Attitudes towards the Liberal Script) A comparative global mass survey measuring citizen attitudes towards the liberal script, conducted across 26 countries with over 50,000 respondents in Wave 1 (2021/2022), with Wave 2 in progress. Used by academic researchers studying public opinion on liberal democracy.
• Data and Methodology Center (DMC) Provides methodological pluralism and critical reflection on data and methods, offering methodological consulting, training, data management, and curation of a central data archive for SCRIPTS researchers.
• Knowledge Exchange Lab (KEL) Connects SCRIPTS research with public debates and fosters exchange between researchers and actors from politics, culture, media, and civil society. Partners include the German Federal Foreign Office and Humboldt Lab at Humboldt Forum Berlin.
• Center for Career Development (CCD) / Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS) Supports researchers from promotion through postdoctoral phases with training, mentoring, and consulting, fostering international mobility and diverse career paths, with the BGTS doctoral programme as its core.
• SCRIPTS Forum The cluster's flagship cross-cutting research format, consisting of seminars, workshops, outreach activities, and an annual conference, each organized around an annual theme (2026 Forum focuses on AI governance). Bridges disciplines and public political debate.

Quantifiable outcome

• PALS Survey Wave 1: 26 countries, 50,000+ respondents (2021/2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn visited Freie Universität Berlin for academic dialogue with SCRIPTS scholars on regional stability, global cooperation, and the future of rules-based international order.
• Freie Universität BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Host institution of the SCRIPTS Cluster of Excellence. Freie Universität Berlin provides the main administrative infrastructure, office space at Edwin-Redslob-Straße 29, and serves as the primary academic affiliation for SCRIPTS researchers.
• Humboldt-Universität zu BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner university contributing researchers and hosting joint activities. Professor Thomas Risse serves as Senior Professor at SCRIPTS from this institution.
• Hertie SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner institution in the Berlin research landscape. Professor Mark Hallerberg serves as a Principal Investigator bridging SCRIPTS and Hertie School.
• WZB Berlin Social Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Major partner providing research infrastructure. Professor Michael Zürn leads the Research Department 'Global Governance' at WZB. Multiple SCRIPTS researchers hold positions at WZB.
• Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner institution focusing on Eastern Europe and international studies. Professor Gwendolyn Sasse serves as Principal Investigator at SCRIPTS from ZOiS.
• Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner institution contributing to SCRIPTS research on global economic governance and liberal script contestations.
• German Federal Foreign OfficenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Knowledge Exchange Lab has partnered with the German Federal Foreign Office on several projects, including cooperation on security policy and international dialogue.
• Humboldt Lab at Humboldt Forum BerlinnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge exchange partner for public engagement and science communication, collaborating on public events and outreach activities.
• Berlin University AlliancenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCRIPTS participates in the Berlin University Alliance, collaborating with other Berlin excellence clusters on joint events and initiatives like the Wissensskulptur installation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel): IfW Kiel is a SCRIPTS core partner and a leading economic research institute. Comparable as a German publicly-funded policy research institution contributing to global economic governance and SCRIPTS' Technology Inequality and Freedom research unit.
• Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS): MERICS is a Berlin-based think tank producing research on China's political and economic development with strong policy engagement. Comparable in combining rigorous academic research with knowledge exchange, focused on contestations involving illiberal actors.
• Hertie School: A core SCRIPTS partner and Berlin-based university focusing on public policy and governance. Comparable as a graduate institution linking social science research to policy practice and public administration.
• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP): SWP is Germany's primary foreign policy think tank advising the Bundestag and federal government. Comparable as a Berlin-based policy-oriented research institute with international governance and democracy expertise, and a natural collaborator on KEL outputs.
• V-Dem Institute (University of Gothenburg): Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is the leading global dataset on democratic governance with a multi-country expert-coded approach. It is the most direct methodological peer to SCRIPTS' PALS survey and shares the comparative democracy research mandate.
• Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS): ZOiS is a SCRIPTS core partner and an inter-disciplinary social science research institute on Eastern Europe. Comparable in scope of regional area studies, methodology, and integration into SCRIPTS' governance and science research units.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: WZB is a core partner of SCRIPTS and itself a major Berlin-based social science research institute studying democracy, inequality, and governance. It is comparable in scope, location, and academic orientation, and houses several SCRIPTS PIs.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Europe: Carnegie Europe is part of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and produces research on European democracy, populism, and multilateralism. Comparable as a large, established international think tank working on the same contestations of liberal democracy theme.
• Chatham House: Chatham House is a globally prominent international affairs think tank in London. Comparable as a major policy-oriented research institute working on global governance, democratic contestation, and international order — themes directly addressed in SCRIPTS' Orders research unit.
• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): CEPS is one of Europe's leading think tanks producing policy research on EU integration, democracy, and global governance. Comparable as a larger, established institution in the same broad policy research space with overlapping topics on EU institutional resilience and democratic legitimacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/scripts-berlin.eu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtBdM-yb90E7F7WifCgoPAA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scripts-berlin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SCRIPTS Berlin