University of Mannheim shines at University Day in the Castle!

University of Mannheim shines at University Day in the Castle!

On May 21, 2025, the University Day of the University of Mannheim took place in the knight's hall of the castle, according to uni-mannheim.de. Around 170 invited guests from science, business and society took part in the event. Rector Prof. Dr. Thomas Fetzer gave the opening speech and thanked all members of the university for their commitment. In his speech, Fetzer emphasized the important role of universities as places of free science and democratic discourse.

Fetzer expressed concerned thoughts about the current social situation, in which scientific findings are increasingly being questioned. He emphasized the university's intention to promote cosmopolitanism and internationality and advocated new formats for imparting knowledge. These include initiatives such as the “University for Young People” and the “WISSENSturst” event series, which are intended to appeal to a broader audience.

Scientific initiatives and funding

Another important aspect of the event was the announcement of a planned Collaborative Research Center (SFB), which will address key challenges of today. This is done as part of the Excellence Strategy, a program to strengthen Germany as a science location in international competition. This strategy aims to promote cutting-edge research, sharpen university profiles and improve networking in the science system bmbf.de reported.

The Excellence Strategy consists of two main funding lines: Clusters of Excellence and Universities of Excellence. The latter strengthen the role of universities as institutions and require participation in at least two clusters of excellence. The financing of these initiatives stipulates that 75% of the funds will be provided by the federal government and 25% by the host states.

Award ceremonies and honors

As part of the university day, Dr. Peter Kurz and Margret Suckale were awarded the title of Honorary Senator. Dr. Kurz supported the University of Mannheim sustainably during his term as mayor from 2007 to 2023, while Margret Suckale was chairwoman of the university council from 2019 to 2024 and was committed to the further development of the university. Also Dr. Angelika Kellner and Dr. Nico Halkenhäuser was honored with the University of Mannheim Teaching Prize for her outstanding teaching achievements.

A keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Carmela Aprea rounded off the event. This dealt with a topic that is essential for education in Germany: financial education and its importance for the future of society.

In the future, the newly founded Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) will begin its work, which will also contribute to the dynamic development of the scientific research landscape at the university. In April 2025, the foundation stone was laid for a new university IT building, which will further improve the infrastructure and digital equipment.

Excellence in research

The implementation of the excellence strategy has been successful since 2016 and has resulted in 57 clusters of excellence being named, which will be funded for a period of seven years. The selection process for future funding is ensured by scientific selection procedures carried out by the DFG and the Science Council, as described in the details dfg.de explained.

The application process and the subsequent evaluation processes are clearly structured to ensure the quality of the funded projects. Future submission deadlines have already been set so that the University of Mannheim can play a central role in the constantly changing education and research landscape.