[4] The opening ceremony was hosted by Theodor Heuss, then President of Germany, who proclaimed "the breath of the world will blow through the doors of this institution".

While the institute at one point employed some of the most prominent leftist thinkers, such as Johannes Agnoli, it has distanced itself from any political leanings in the late 20th and early 21st century.

[6] The OSI is part of the Free University of Berlin’s Department of Political and Social Sciences, focusing on the study of international relations.

The Otto-Suhr-Institut offer the following undergraduate and graduate study programmes: The institute offers an integrated German-French dual bachelor’s degree as well as a dual master’s degree programme with the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (the French grande école also known as Sciences Po), as well as a joint German-Russian master's degree programme in co-operation with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

It also offers a dual degree in Public Policy and Management with HEC Paris (a famed French grande école and business school).