Bayreuth is a public research university that was founded in 1975. It is a campus university with a research focus on international collaboration and interdisciplinarity. The university has a strong focus on African studies. Another leading area is natural sciences and engineering, in which Bayreuth is advanced in the field of non-linear dynamics. The university’s advanced materials department and its department of polymer and colloid science are both very strong and rank among the best in Germany. What marks out all of Bayreuth’s areas of excellence are its multidisciplinary approach and the university’s willingness to engage with other institutions.