Berlin is the capital city of Germany and the countries largest city in terms of surface and population: with 3.4 million inhabitants within its city limits, it is also the second most populous city and the ninth most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany it is part of the so-called Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area, comprising 5 million people and a great variety of nationalities and ethnics.

The Berlin-Brandenburg capital region is one of the most prolific centers of higher education and research in the European Union. The city has four universities and numerous private, professional and technical colleges (Fachhochschulen), offering students a wide range of disciplines. Around 130,000 students attend the universities and professional or technical colleges. The three largest universities, accounting for around 75% of all students, are

• the Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin) (35,000)
• the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (35,000)
• the Technische Universität Berlin (30,000)

The city has a high concentration of research institutions, such as the Fraunhofer Society and the Max Planck Society, which are independent of, or only loosely connected to its universities. A total number of 62,000 scientists are working in research and development.

Medical science and technology have a long tradition and a high significance in Berlin. Scientists from Berlin such as Rudolf Virchow, the founder of cellular pathology, or Robert Koch, who discovered the anthrax, cholera, and tuberculosis bacillus, are known for their major contributions to modern medicine.

The Charité hospital complex is today the largest university hospital in Europe, comprising 3,300 beds, around 14,000 staff, 8,000 students, over 60 operating theatres with an annual turnover of over one billion euros. It includes a wide range of institutes and medical competence centers. Among them are the German Heart Center, one of the most renowned transplantation centers, the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine and the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics. Scientific research is complemented by many industry research departments of companies such as Siemens, Schering or debis