German Excellence Initiative
German Excellence Initiative - a funding program for cutting-edge research

The Excellence Initiative was a funding program aimed at promoting cutting-edge research in Germany between 2005 and 2017.

Updated: 2025-05-06

By: academics

Academic career in Germany Professor in Germany ExStra Postdoc in Germany Working in Germany

Contents

What is the German Excellence Initiative? Why is the Excellence Initiative so important for international scientists? The three funding lines Universities of Excellence (2006-2011) Universities of Excellence (2012-2017) Clusters of Excellence (2012 – 2017)

What is the German Excellence Initiative?

The German Universities Excellence Initiative (Exzellenzinitiative) was launched in 2005, following negotiations between the federal government and German states. It was designed to strengthen research at German universities and enhance their global appeal. Since its introduction, it has been one of the key factors in attracting international scientists to pursue careers at German universities.

During the first funding phase (2006-2011), €1.9bn was made available to scientists through the Excellence Initiative; during the second funding phase (2012-2017) the funds increased to €2.7bn.

The Excellence Initiative received a great deal of attention in academia and the media, both in Germany and internationally. It has been referred to as ‘the German Ivy League’.

Why is the Excellence Initiative so important for international scientists?

The Excellence Initiative has made Germany the subject of international attention, and scientists across the world are becoming increasingly interested in applying for a job at German Universities of Excellence. The developments in academia over the last decade mean that Germany can now compete on an international level, attracting top scientific talent. Scientists who may not have considered a career in Germany previously are attracted by the substantial funding for research projects and the rise in job opportunities.

With the launch of the next funding phase under the Excellence Strategy, even more international scientists are expected to pursue careers in Germany, especially as universities tend to actively seek scientists from abroad as part of their ‘brain drain’ strategy. In addition, the fact that this round of funding is open-ended means that scientists can expect to be involved in long-term projects, and so build a career and a life in Germany.

What is the Excellence Strategy (ExStra)?

The Excellence Strategy aims to strengthen outstanding research projects at universities and increase their visibility in international comparison. It emerged from the Excellence Initiative funding programme, which was evaluated positively. Further information can be found on the topic page on the Excellence Strategy.

The three funding lines

There were three distinct categories that received funding under the Excellence Initiative:

Clusters of Excellence (Exzellenzcluster)
Universities of Excellence (Exzellenzuniversität)
Graduate schools (Graduiertenschulen)

The graduate schools were intended to create excellent research and supervision conditions for young academics. Below you will find an overview of the graduate schools that emerged from the first and second funding rounds.

Outstanding research alliances with special scientific issues were funded as Clusters of Excellence. The tables below provide an overview of the Clusters of Excellence from the first and second funding rounds.

The aim of the institutional strategies was to give the universities a new scientific and strategic direction in line with international competition. With average annual funding of 21 million euros per university, the third pillar also provided a considerable increase in available funds.

Universities of Excellence (2006-2011)

University
RWTH Aachen University
Freie Universität Berlin
University of Freiburg
University of Göttingen
Heidelberg University
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
University of Konstanz
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Technical University of Munich

Universities of Excellence (2012-2017)

University	Graduate School
RWTH Aachen University	Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science
Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg	Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences
University of Bayreuth	Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies
Freie Universität Berlin	Graduate School of North American Studies (John F. Kennedy-Institute for North American Studies)
Freie Universität Berlin	Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies
Freie Universität Berlin	Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies
Freie Universität Berlin	Graduate School for East Asian Studies
Freie Universität Berlin und Humboldt University of Berlin	Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies
Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt University of Berlin	BSIO Berlin School of Integrative Oncology
Humboldt University of Berlin	Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Humboldt University of Berlin	School of Analytical Sciences Adlershof
Berlin Institute of Technology	Berlin Mathematical School
Bielefeld University	Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS)
Ruhr University	Ruhr University Research School Plus
University of Bremen	Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS)
Technische Universität Darmstadt	Computational Engineering
Technische Universität Darmstadt	Darmstadt Graduate School of Excellence Energy Science and Engineering
TU Dresden	Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg	Graduate School of Advanced Optical Technologies
University of Freiburg	Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM)
University of Giessen	International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture
University of Göttingen	Göttingen Graduate School of Neuroscience, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences
Heidelberg University	Heidelberg Graduate School of Fundamental Physics
Heidelberg University	Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences
Heidelberg University	Harmut Hoffman-Berling International Graduate School of Molecular and Cellular Biology
University of Jena	Jena School for Microbial Communication
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe School of Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics: Science and Technology (KSETA)
University of Kiel	Integrated studies on human development in landscapes
University of Cologne	Bonn-Cologne Graduate School for Physics and Astronomy
University of Cologne	a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne (AGSHC)
University of Konstanz	Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology
University of Konstanz	Graduate School of Decision Sciences
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz	Materials Science in Mainz
University of Mannheim	Graduate School in Economics and Social Sciences: Empirical and Quantitative Methods
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich	Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich	Graduate School of Quantitative Biosciences Munich (QBM)
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich	Far Worlds: Archeology College Munich
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and University of Regensburg	Graduate School for East and Southeast European Studies
Technical University of Munich	International Graduate School of Science and Engineering (IGSSE)
Saarland University	Saarbrücken Graduate School of Computer Science
University of Stuttgart	Graduate School for advanced Manufacturing Engineering in Stuttgart (GSaME)
University of Tübingen	Graduate School LEAD (Learning, Educational Achievement, and Life Course Development
Ulm University	International Graduate School of Molecular Medicine Ulm (IGradU)
Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg	Graduate School for Life Sciences

Clusters of Excellence (2012 – 2017)

City	University	Cluster of Excellence
Aachen	Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule	Integrative Produktionstechnik für Hochlohnländer
Aachen	Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule	Maßgeschneiderte Kraftstoffe aus Biomasse
Berlin	Freie Universität und Humboldt-Universität	NeuroCure – neue Perspektiven in der Therapie neurologischer Erkrankungen
Berlin	Freie Universität und Humboldt-Universität	Topoi – Die Formation und Transformation von Raum und Wissen in den antiken Kulturen
Berlin	Humboldt-Universität	Bild Wissen Gestaltung. Ein interdisziplinäres Labor
Berlin	Technische Universität	Unifying Concepts in Catalysis
Bielefeld	Universität Bielefeld	Kognitive Interaktionstechnologie
Bochum	Ruhr-Universität	RESOLV (Ruhr Explores Solvation) – Verständnis und Design lösungsmittelabhängiger Prozesse
Bonn	Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität	Mathematik: Grundlagen, Modelle, Anwendungen
Bonn	Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität	ImmunoSensation: Das Immunsensorische System
Bremen	Universität Bremen	Der Ozean im Erdsystem – MARUM – Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften
Chemnitz	Technische Universität	Technologiefusion für multifunktionale Leichtbaustrukturen – MERGE
Dresden	Technische Universität	Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD)
Dresden	Technische Universität	Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfAED)
Düsseldorf/Köln	Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf und Universität zu Köln	Exzellenzcluster für Pflanzenwissenschaften – von komplexen Eigenschaften zu synthetischen Modulen
Erlangen/Nürnberg	Friedrich-Alexander-Universität	Neue Materialien und Prozesse – Hierarchische Strukturbildung für funktionale Bauteile
Frankfurt am Main	Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität	Dynamik Makromolekularer Komplexe
Frankfurt am Main	Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität	Die Herausbildung normativer Ordnungen
Frankfurt am Main/Gießen	Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität und Justus-Liebig-Universität	Kardiopulmonales System
Freiburg	Albert-Ludwigs-Universität	BIOSS Zentrum für Biologische Signalstudien – von der Analyse zur Synthese
Freiburg	Albert-Ludwigs-Universität	BrainLinks – BrainTools
Göttingen	Georg-August-Universität	Mikroskopie im Nanometerbereich und Molekularphysiologie des Gehirns
Hamburg	Universität Hamburg	Integrierte Klimasystemanalyse und -vorhersage
Hamburg	Universität Hamburg	The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI): Struktur, Dynamik und Kontrolle von Materie auf atomarer Skala
Hannover	Medizinische Hochschule	REBIRTH – Von Regenerativer Biologie zu Rekonstruktiver Therapie
Heidelberg	Ruprecht-Karls-Universität	Zelluläre Netzwerke: Von der Analyse molekularer Mechanismen zum quantitativen Verständnis komplexer Funktionen
Heidelberg	Ruprecht-Karls-Universität	Zelluläre Netzwerke: Von der Analyse molekularer Mechanismen zum quantitativen Verständnis komplexer Funktionen
Heidelberg	Ruprecht-Karls-Universität	Asien und Europa im globalen Kontext: Die Dynamik der Transkulturalität
Kiel	Christian-Albrechts-Universität	Ozean der Zukunft
Kiel	Christian-Albrechts-Universität	Entzündungen an Grenzflächen
Köln	Universität zu Köln	Zelluläre Stressantworten bei Alters-assoziierten Erkrankungen
Konstanz	Universität Konstanz	Kulturelle Grundlagen von Integration
Mainz	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität	Präzisionsphysik, Fundamentalkräfte und Struktur der Materie
München	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität	Nanosystem Initiative München (NIM)
München	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität	Zentrum für Integrierte Proteinforschung (CIPSM)
München	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität	Münchner Zentrum für fortgeschrittene Photonik (MAP)
München	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität	Cluster für Systemneurologie – München
München	Technische Universität	Origin and Structure of the Universe – The Cluster of Excellence for Fundamental Physics
Münster	Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität	Religion und Politik in den Kulturen der Vormoderne und der Moderne
Münster	Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität	Cells in Motion – CiM: Visualisierung und Verstehen zellulären Verhaltens in lebenden Organismen
Oldenburg	Carl von Ossietzky Universität	Hören für alle: Modelle, Technologien und Lösungsansätze für Diagnostik, Wiederherstellung und Unterstützung des Hörens
Saarbrücken	Universität des Saarlandes	Multimodal Computing and Interaction
Stuttgart	Universität Stuttgart	Simulationstechnik
Tübingen	Eberhard Karls Universität	Werner Reichardt Centrum für Integrative Neurowissenschaften (CIN)

Source: ExStra

Share this article

German Excellence Initiative German Excellence Initiative - a funding program for cutting-edge research