Hesse fights for excellence: Giessen and Marburg start applications!

Hesse fights for excellence: Giessen and Marburg start applications!

The Justus Liebig University of Gießen (JLU) and the Philipps University of Marburg (UMR) announced today that they have submitted a joint declaration of intent for a joint application as part of the Excellence Strategy. The aim of this initiative is to achieve the title of “University of Excellence” in the second funding line. Both institutions benefit from their long-standing cooperation in the Central Hesse Research Campus (FCMH), which has existed since 2016 and combines a variety of research concepts in common areas of focus, including lungs and heart as well as molecules and energy. The support of at least three clusters of excellence is a primary condition for submitting an application.

The impressive collaboration between the two universities has already led to four clusters of excellence being acquired in May 2025. Professor Dr. Katharina Lorenz from JLU emphasizes the importance of a strong joint positioning in order to capitalize on the success of the first funding line. Your colleague, Professor Dr. Thomas Nauss from the UMR highlights how competitive top research is in Gießen and Marburg.

Clusters of Excellence and Research Fields

The two universities are submitting a total of four clusters of excellence to the application, which deal with topics such as cardiopulmonary diseases, the adaptability of the brain, battery research and climate change. This includes the Cluster of Excellence M4C – Microbes for Climate, which also integrates Giessen bioinformatics. Furthermore, the TAM – The Adaptive Mind cluster is part of the collaboration between Gießen, Marburg and Darmstadt. Another important component is the CPI – Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, which functions as a joint facility between JLU, the Goethe University Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim.

In addition, a unique cross-state cluster of excellence for energy storage with the JLU, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Ulm will be presented. These strategic priorities demonstrate the high-performance research landscape in Hesse.

The role of the Hessian universities

The application for the title of “University of Excellence” is being submitted for the first time by four Hessian universities as part of the comprehensive excellence strategy of the federal and state governments. In addition to the JLU and UMR, the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, which are taking part in the competition together with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, are also active in this area. All applications for the excellence alliances will be submitted by the deadline, and the Hessian universities are pleased to have successfully received six out of seven applications in the excellence cluster competition.

Science Minister Timon Gremmels emphasizes that Hesse is thus returning to the map of research excellence. The title not only gives universities of excellence national and international reputation, but also millions in funding. The funding line supports universities in expanding their international leading position in research, with up to 15 million euros annually for universities of excellence and up to 28 million euros for alliances of excellence.

The final funding decisions will be made in October 2026, while the start of funding is scheduled for January 1, 2027. The prerequisite for submitting an application is the successful acquisition of at least two clusters of excellence per university or three in a network, which underlines the successful qualification of the four Hessian universities.

Overall, the applications from Hessian universities show that the foundations for excellent research in the region have been laid and that the future of the university landscape could take a significant step in the right direction. The commitment of the universities and their cooperative approach promise promising prospects for research in Hesse.

For further information about the excellence strategy and the associations of Hessian universities, you can read the reports from uni-giessen.de, science.hessen.de and rhein-main-universitaeten.de to use.