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Decisions on new Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia

Issue 21 | 2026
Date 2026-10-02

Joint press release by WR and DFG

Excellence Commission selects three Universities of Excellence and two University Excellence Consortia

The final decisions in the second round of the Excellence Strategy (ExStra) of the federal and state governments to strengthen world-class research at universities in Germany have now been taken. Today, Friday 2 October 2026, the Excellence Commission – comprising leading researchers and the federal and state ministers responsible for research– selected five new institutions from the eleven applications submittet by universities and university consortia for long-term funding under the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line.

They add to the list of Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia to be from 2027 onwards, following the positive evaluation in March this year for ten existing institutions, among them one consortium. This means that, from January 2027, a total of 15 Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia will be funded under the Excellence Strategy.

The newly selected institutions are (in alphabetical order):

  • University of Freiburg
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena
  • University of Cologne
  • Rhine-Main Universities (Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
  • Ruhr Innovation Lab (Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University)

The decisions of the Excellence Commission were announced at a press conference after the meeting held at the Bonn Science Center. The resultus were presented by Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär and Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science Falko Mohrs, as Chair and Deputy Chair respectively of the Joint Science Conference (GWK). They were joined by the Chair of the German Science and Humanities Council (WR), Prof. Dr Wolfgang Wick, and the President of the German Research Foundation (DFG), Prof. Dr Katja Becker – both of whom also serve as co-chairs of the Committee of Experts and the Commission for Excellence – as well as Prof. Dr Peter Wagner, a member of the Committee of Experts. All five commended the institutions taking part in the competition.

WR Chair Wolfgang Wick emphasised the far-reaching impact of the competition: “I congratulate the universities and consortia newly selected today. They embody what has characterised this funding programme from the very beginning: cutting-edge research depends on the whole university – from teaching through knowledge transfer to career pathways. Anyone wishing to compete at the very top internationally nowadays has to take all these aspects into account together. Once again, this round of the competition has generated momentum and international prestige that extend far beyond the selected institutions. We want to continue this success story. To this end, we will thoroughly evaluate the outcomes and consistently develop the programme further.”

Katja Becker, President of the DFG, highlighted the Excellence Commission's once again unanimous funding decisions, which were based on international peer reviews and consultations by the Committee of Experts: “The primacy of scientific excellence in both funding lines and the consistent international perspective on the German research system have proved extremely effective. All applicants submitted highly innovative concepts that support not only the enormous scientific potential of the Clusters of Excellence but also that of other research areas. All this is only possible because the federal government, the federal states and the scientific community in Germany are firmly committed to the principle of science-led research funding.”

Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space Dorothee Bär emphasised the contribution of high-performing and internationally attractive universities to economic development: “The Federal Government is pursuing a clear objective with the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. We want to create new economic growth and new prosperity for Germany. To achieve this, we need strong universities that are internationally visible and offer excellent conditions for researchers. The Excellence Strategy makes a key contribution to this. Together with the state ministers for research and international experts, we have today decided to fund a further five Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia. Congratulations to everyone involved in the successful applications on their impressive achievement. The funding decisions were not easy to make: all the applicants demonstrated tremendous commitment during the application process.”

Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, explained the significance of the competition from the perspective of the federal states: “Universities of Excellence are beacons that shine far beyond state borders. They strengthen the international competitiveness of their regions and attract top researchers from all over the world. At the same time, we as federal states benefit collectively from a strong science system in Germany. Because even where applications were unsuccessful, valuable strategies, cooperations and prospects for development remain in place. The Excellence Strategy thus has an impact far beyond the institutions that have been awarded funding.”

As a member of the Committee of Experts, Peter Wagner praised the international reputation of the ExStra: “With the Excellence Strategy, Germany has paved a path that is recognised internationally as a blueprint. The institutions are reflecting on their own performance with depth and rigour that I find lacking in many other systems. This is an impact of this competition that extends far beyond the funding decision itself. This influence will continue to grow. Anyone wishing to attract the best minds internationally needs visible, high-profile institutions. That is precisely what the Excellence Strategy achieves.”

The official start of the second funding phase for all 15 Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia is 1 January 2027. With an additional 60 million euros per year on top of the 148 million euros previously allocated annually to fund the existing Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia, the federal and state governments have laid the foundations for the funding of up to five new Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia – in accordance with the administrative agreement and the GWK resolution of 30 June 2023. The federal and state governments are thus investing a total of 208 million euros per year in the Universities of Excellence funding line. This financial framework covers both the funding of the new Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia and the continued funding of the existing Universities of Excellence and the University Excellence Consortium.

Since the maximum number of funded institutions was selected in the second round of applications (five institutions) and almost all universities and consortia applied for the maximum amounts available (up to 15 million euros annually for individual universities and up to 28 million euros annually for consortia), it will be necessary to reduce the annual funding applied for by each institution by an average of around 21 per cent over the next seven years.

Following today’s decisions, attention now turns to the possible future development of the Excellence Strategy, which is designed as a long-term funding programme. In June 2027, the Committee of Experts will submit a report on its experiences with both funding lines of the programme – the Clusters of Excellence and the Universities of Excellence – to the Joint Science Conference of the federal and state governments (GWK).

The GWK has already addressed issues relating to the programme’s further development during the first funding phase. In consultation with a wide range of actors, including the funded institutions, it examines the various dimensions of the Excellence Strategy’s impact. Furthermore, the international experts are examining the impact the Excellence Strategy has had on Germany as a location of science and research to date, with a view to drawing up recommendations on how the two funding lines can achieve an even more targeted impact in future. Competition for cutting-edge research is to remain at the heart of the programme; its academically-led processes lend it legitimacy and ensure broad international recognition.

On this basis, the federal and state governments intend to discuss the programme’s impact and possible adjustments that may be required.

Newly selected institutions (2 October 2026)

  • University of Freiburg
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena
  • University of Cologne
  • Rhine-Main Universities (Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
  • Ruhr Innovation Lab (Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University)

Institutions receiving continued funding (March 2026)

Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia (listed alphabetically by location)

  • RWTH Aachen University (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen)
  • Berlin University Alliance (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin)
  • University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)
  • TU Dresden (Technische Universität Dresden)
  • University of Hamburg (Universität Hamburg, UHH)
  • Heidelberg University (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg)
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie)
  • LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
  • Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München)
  • University of Tübingen (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen)

Statements by the Committee of Experts on the evaluation of the Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia (German only)

Background on the Excellence Strategy and the Universities of Excellence funding line

How the programme is structured

In the first round of the competition in 2019, ten individual universities and one University Excellence Consortium were recommended for long-term funding under the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line. The requirements for the continuation of long-term funding are the successful acquisition of at least two – or, in the case of a University Excellence Consortium, three – Clusters of Excellence, as well as a positive evaluation of the funded Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia, which is carried out every seven years.

In accordance with the administrative agreement between the federal and state governments on the Excellence Strategy, the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line is administered by the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) and the ‘Clusters of Excellence’ funding line by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

After the Excellence Commission had selected 70 Clusters of Excellence in May 2025 for (continued) funding from 1 January 2026, it became clear that ten of the eleven Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia still met the requirements for funding under the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line.

The University of Konstanz no longer met the required minimum number of Clusters of Excellence.

When the first round of evaluations began, the funded Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia submitted self-assessment reports in the summer of 2025 to demonstrate the extent to which the set objectives had been achieved during the first funding phase and what additional impacts had been realised. From September to December of the same year, on-site visits were carried out at all institutions by international panels of experts. They were assessed solely against the objectives they had set for themselves and their individual strategic development. No direct comparison was made between the various institutions.

The outcome of the evaluation of the nine Universities of Excellence and the University Excellence Consortium was positive without exception. On 11 March 2026, the Committee of Experts – comprising international researchers – reached its decision, which was unanimously confirmed by the Excellence Commission. To ensure the transparency of the review process and to provide impetus for a learning-oriented research system, the reports on the individual sites were published on the website of the WR.

How the competition's second round was conducted

The decision on the Clusters of Excellence funding line not only determined which of the existing Universities of Excellence would be evaluated but also meant that a total of eleven further sites were eligible to apply for funding as a University of Excellence or a University Excellence Consortium. As in the first round, an individual university was eligible to apply if it could demonstrate at least two Clusters of Excellence. A joint application by a consortium of two or three universities required that at least three Clusters of Excellence at the participating universities had received funding. Each university participating in the consortium had to either have at least one Cluster of Excellence of its own or be involved as an applicant in a joint Cluster of Excellence.

By the deadline of 12 November 2025, the WR had received eleven applications for the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line. Seven were submitted by individual universities and four by consortia of two or three universities. All eligible institutions thus entered the competition for five available places in the ‘Universities of Excellence’ funding line

Between April and June 2026, international panels of experts assessed the universities and consortia that had applied for the title of ‘University of Excellence’ or ‘University Excellence Consortium’ during on-site visits lasting several days. In contrast to the evaluation procedure, the new application round – as in 2019 – involved a competitive assessment and thus a selection process. The basis for assessing the new applications was the coherence of strategic approaches in the light of its initial conditions and the objectives set out.

What happens next following the decision

The official start date of the second funding phase for all Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia is 1 January 2027. With an additional 60 million euros per year on top of the 148 million euros previously allocated annually to fund the established institutions, the federal and state governments have laid the foundations for funding up to a maximum of five new Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia – in accordance with the administrative agreement and the GWK resolution of 30 June 2023. The federal and state governments are thus investing a total of 208 million euros per year in the Universities of Excellence funding line. This funding framework covers both the funding of the new Universities of Excellence and University Excellence Consortia and the continuation of funding for the established institutions.

The Excellence Strategy is designed as a long-term funding programme and kept under continuous review. The Committee of Experts has been addressing the ongoing development of the programme since the first funding phase. Through dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including the funded institutions, it is examining the various dimensions of the Excellence Strategy’s impact. In addition, the committee is examining the impact the Excellence Strategy has had on Germany as science and research location, with a view to drawing up recommendations on how the funding lines can be made even more precisely targeted in the future. Academically driven competition for cutting-edge research will remain at the heart of the programme; it´s academically-led processes are the source of both its legitimacy and its broad international recognition.

Taking these aspects into account, the Committee of Experts will present a report to the Joint Science Conference (GWK) on the experience gained with both funding lines – Clusters of Excellence and Universities of Excellence – in June 2027. On this basis, the federal and state governments will then discuss the programme’s impact and any necessary adjustments.

Media contact:

Georg Scholl, Head of Communications and Public Relations at WR,
Tel. +49 221 3776-243, georg.scholl(at)wissenschaftsrat.de

Marco Finetti, Head of Press and Public Relations at DFG,
Tel. +49 228 885-2230, marco.finetti(at)dfg.de

Contact persons at the WR and DFG offices:

For the Universities of Excellence funding line

Dr Inka Spang-Grau, Head of Excellence Strategy Department,
Tel. +49 221 3776-281, inka.spang-grau(at)wissenschaftsrat.de

For the Clusters of Excellence funding line:

Dr Christine Petry, Head of Excellence Strategy and Research Impulses,
Tel. +49 228 885-2355, christine.petry(at)dfg.de

Further detailed information on the Excellence Strategy is also available at:

www.wissenschaftsrat.de/EN/excellence_strategy

https://www.dfg.de/en/research-funding/funding-initiative/excellence-strategy

https://www.exzellenzstrategie.de/en/