The premises of Leopoldina, the oldest German scientific association, are located in the Saale city Halle. It was founded in 1652 and is committed to free science for the benefit of mankind and the shaping of the future.

The tradition-steeped Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) with numerous departments in sciences and humanities came into existence by the merger of two universities in 1817: the older one was founded as Leucorea Wittenberg in 1502; the younger Friedrichs University was established in 1694 by order of the Brandenburg Elector in Halle (Saale).

Leipzig has the second oldest university in Germany, founded in  the year 1409. The Saxon Academy of Sciences and the Halle-Leipzig Environmental Research Agency are also located there.