Bonn inspires: Eight new clusters of excellence for cutting-edge research from 2026!

Bonn inspires: Eight new clusters of excellence for cutting-edge research from 2026!

On May 22, 2025, the Excellence Commission in Bonn made a groundbreaking decision: the University of Bonn will be funded with eight clusters of excellence from 2026. This marks significant progress for the university, which has been the only German institution to be awarded six clusters of excellence since 2018. In 2019 it also received the status of a university of excellence. The Rector, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, described the decision as a historic milestone for the university and thanked both the researchers and the state government for their support.

The decision to provide funding was made as part of the federal and state excellence strategy, which was launched in 2016. This strategy is intended to strengthen German science as a location in international competition and increase the visibility of research achievements. The Excellence Strategy followed the Excellence Initiative (2007-2017), which had already led to outstanding research results. It consists of two main funding lines: Clusters of Excellence and Universities of Excellence, both of which aim at international competitiveness and collaboration.

The eight clusters of excellence at the University of Bonn

The summer semester highlights among the new clusters of excellence at the University of Bonn are:

• Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS): Fokus auf die interdisziplinäre Sklaverei- und Abhängigkeitsforschung mit 43 Fachrichtungen und 24 internationalen Partnerinstitutionen. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Stephan Conermann. Website: dependency.uni-bonn.de.
• ECONtribute: Märkte & Public Policy: Untersuchung gesellschaftlicher Herausforderungen, unterstützt von rund 150 Wissenschaftler:innen. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Thomas Dohmen, Prof. Dr. Matthias Heinz, Prof. Dr. Pia Pinger. Website: econtribute.de.
• Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM): Wurde 2006 gegründet und gilt als bedeutendes Zentrum für mathematische Forschung. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Valentin Blomer. Website: mathematics.uni-bonn.de/hcm.
• ImmunoSensation3: Fokus auf das Verständnis des Immunsystems; über 80 Forschungsgruppen arbeiten zusammen. Sprecher: Prof. Gunther Hartmann, Prof. Anja Schneider, Prof. Andreas Schlitzer. Website: immunosensation.de.
• ML4Q – Materie und Licht für Quanteninformation: Entwicklung der Grundlagen für Quantencomputer und Netzwerkarchitekturen. Sprecher: Prof. Yoichi Ando, Prof. Dr. Simon Stellmer. Website: ml4q.de.
• PhenoRob: Ziel ist die Entwicklung nachhaltiger Anbausysteme für die Landwirtschaft. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Cyrill Stachniss, Prof. Dr. Heiner Kuhlmann. Website: phenorob.de.
• Color meets Flavor: Untersuchung der Struktur von Materie im sub-atomaren Bereich. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Jochen Dingfelder. Website: color-meets-flavor.de.
• Our Dynamic Universe: Verknüpfung astrophysikalischer Prozesse durch Beobachtungen und Simulationen. Sprecher: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner, Prof. Dr. Cristiano Porciani. Website: dynaverse.astro.uni-koeln.de.

The Clusters of Excellence are an integral part of the Excellence Strategy, which focuses on promoting internationally competitive research fields. The strategy aims to intensify collaboration between scientists and support the training of young talent. The funding is project-related and is scheduled for seven years, with the possibility of a second funding period, which is ensured by scientific quality.

Future of the excellence strategy

As part of the Excellence Strategy, 57 clusters of excellence have already been selected since its launch in 2019. From 2026, the budget is expected to increase to 539 million euros annually for up to 70 clusters of excellence, which corresponds to total funding of 687 million euros per year. The majority of these funds (75%) are provided by the federal government, while the states contribute 25%. For the second funding period, which begins in 2026, applications will be accepted from August 2024.

The initiatives to support cutting-edge research through the Excellence Strategy are designed to further consolidate Germany as a science location and take it to the next level internationally. The expansion of international collaborations and the focus on interdisciplinary research are key factors for sustainably increasing scientific achievements in Germany. Further information on this topic can be found on the relevant websites of the Excellence Strategy and the University of Bonn BMBF and Excellence strategy provide comprehensive details.