The Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU Jena) is a public research university in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. It was founded in 1558 and is one of the oldest universities in Germany, with a rich history spanning over 450 years. With approximately 18,000 students, FSU Jena offers a wide range of academic programmes in its ten faculties, covering disciplines such as natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities. The university's campus is located in the picturesque city of Jena, where it blends seamlessly into the urban landscape, creating a vibrant and inspiring environment for students and researchers alike. The city is renowned for its cultural and intellectual heritage, having been home to famous figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Ernst Abbe.

FSU Jena is particularly renowned for its excellence in research, with a strong focus on interdisciplinary collaboration. The university's research profile is organised around three main themes: "Light, Life and Freedom, which encompass cutting-edge research in fields such as optics and photonics, microbiology and biodiversity, and social sciences and contemporary history. The university consistently ranks among the top institutions in Germany and Europe. In the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, FSU Jena was placed in the 201-250 range worldwide. Additionally, the university has been successful in the German Excellence Initiative, with the "Balance of the Microverse" excellence cluster being funded from 2019.

Throughout its history, FSU Jena has been associated with numerous notable alumni and faculty members, including Nobel laureates such as Ernst Abbe, Erwin Neher and Herbert Kroemer. The university also boasts an impressive list of former students and professors, including philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and biologists Ernst Haeckel and Matthias Jakob Schleiden. One of the unique aspects of FSU Jena is its strong commitment to international cooperation and student mobility. The university maintains partnerships with over 500 universities worldwide and actively participates in various exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+, enabling students to gain valuable international experience.