German Excellence Strategy

German „ExStra“ – Everything you need to know

What is the German Excellence Strategy and what is the Excellence Initiative? What are the funding measures intended to achieve, and which universities, clusters and alliances conduct top-level research? You can find out this and more here.

Jobs in science and research

Would you like to showcase your institution as an attractive employer for scientists and researchers? Please contact our colleagues at ZEIT Talent! And have a look at the sample below. ⬇️

What is the Excellence Strategy?

Germany is interested in funding cutting-edge research on the long term and developed the Excellence Strategy to do so. This article examines how the program works, looks at what institutions are eligible and provides insight into the Clusters of Excellence.

Funding for cutting-edge research – The 2026 Clusters of Excellence

The second seven-year funding period for the so-called Excellence Strategy begins in 2026. On May 22, 2025, the winning clusters were announced. An overview.

Excellence strategy – the first funding round

The Excellence Strategy emerged from the Excellence Initiative. Read here which Universities of Excellence and Clusters of Excellence were funded in the first funding round (2019 to 2025).