The Technische Universität Berlin, known as TU Berlin for short and unofficially as the Technical University of Berlin or Berlin Institute of Technology, is a research university located in Berlin, Germany and one of the largest and most prestigious research and education institutions in Germany. The university was founded in 1879. It has the highest proportion of foreign students out of universities in Germany, with 20.9% in the summer semester of 2007, roughly 5,598 students.