German Universities Excellence Initiative

The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scientists at universities, to deepen cooperation between disciplines and institutions, to strengthen international cooperation of research, and to enhance the international appeal of excellent German universities. It is the result of lengthy negotiations between the federal government and the German states. [1]

The German Excellence Universities as a group are comparable to the Russell Group in the UK.

The Excellence Initiative is conducted by the German Research Foundation (DFG) together with the German Council of Science and Humanities (WR). More than 30 universities in total received funding. It includes three lines of funding:

1st line of funding: The establishment of more than 40 research schools for young scientists and PhD candidates, which will receive one million euros each per year.

2nd line of funding: The creation of thirty so-called Clusters of Excellence, that connect universities with leading German research institutes and businesses. Annually, these clusters will receive around 6.5 million euros each to fund their work.

3rd line of funding: The selection of 9 Universities of Excellence, which will be funded highly for their "future concepts", i.e., institutional strategies to promote top-level university research.[1] Particularly this third line of funding has drawn appreciable international attention, both in academia and media.[2]

Altogether 1.9 billion euros of additional funds will be distributed over the coming five years, most of this coming from the federal government. The German Council of Science and Humanities is responsible for the third line of funding, and the German Research Foundation is responsible for the first and second lines of funding. These funds are to be available in the first instance for the universities and their partner institutions until 2012.[1]

Contents

Results

Winners: Future Concept

Commonly referred to by the media as "elite universities",[3][2] nine Universities of Excellence receive funding for their future concepts:

University Title Year of Award
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich LMUexcellent: Working brains – Networking minds – Living knowledge 2006
Technical University of Munich TUM. The Entrepreneurial University 2006
University of Karlsruhe A Concept for the Future of the University of Karlsruhe. The Foundation of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) 2006
RWTH Aachen University RWTH 2020: Meeting Global Challenges 2007
Free University of Berlin International Network University 2007
University of Freiburg Windows for Research, New Universitas 2007
University of Göttingen Göttingen. Tradition – Innovation – Autonomie 2007
University of Heidelberg Heidelberg: Realizing the Potential of a Comprehensive University 2007
University of Konstanz Model Konstanz - towards a culture of creativity 2007

The funding for a future concept does often, but not necessarily result in a superior overall budget compared to other German universities. For example, due to its small size, the University of Constance is despite this additional means, not included in the top 20 funded universities in Germany.

Current international standing

According to the Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators, an official document compiled by the European Commission, four of the Universities of Excellence are among Europe's top 10 universities: Technical University of Munich (joint 3rd), Freiburg (joint 6th), Karlsruhe (joint 6th), and Heidelberg (joint 9th).[4][5]

In the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2009, LMU Munich (55), Technical University of Munich (57), Heidelberg (63), Göttingen (90), and Freiburg (96) are included in the global top 100, heading the field of German universities by those criteria.[6]

Eight of the nine Universities of Excellence are included in the world's top 250 universities, according to the THES - QS Top Universities 2008 and U.S. News and World Report World's Best Colleges and Universities Ranking 2008 respectively: Heidelberg (57); Technical University of Munich (78); LMU Munich (93); Free University of Berlin (137); Freiburg (147); Göttingen (166); Karlsruhe (207); RWTH Aachen (217); Constance (325). As for the separate THES - QS / USN rankings of broad subject areas, Heidelberg ranks within the global top 50 in three of five categories, Technical University of Munich in two of five, and both LMU Munich and Free University of Berlin in one of five. All of the chosen universities are included in the global top 150 in at least one of the subject area rankings.[7][8]

Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan said following the awards ceremony, "The excellence initiative is writing scientific history. Research at German universities finds itself on a successful, international course." [9]

Winners: Graduate Schools

Source: Federal Ministry of Education[10]

(coordinating) University Graduate School Year of Award
RWTH Aachen University Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science 2006
Free University Berlin Graduate School of North American Studies (John F. Kennedy-Institute for North American Studies) 2006
Humboldt University of Berlin Berlin School of Mind and Brain 2006
Berlin Institute of Technology Berlin Mathematical School 2006
Ruhr University Bochum Ruhr University Research School 2006
University of Bonn Bonn Graduate School of Economics 2006
University of Bremen Global Change in the Marine Realm 2006
Dresden University of Technology Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering 2006
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies 2006
University of Freiburg Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine 2006
University of Gießen International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture 2006
Hannover Medical School Hannover Biomedical Research School 2006
University of Heidelberg Heidelberg Graduate School of Fundamental Physics
University of Karlsruhe (TH) Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics 2006
University of Mannheim Empirical and Quantitative Methods in the Economic and Social Sciences 2006
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences 2006
Technical University of Munich International Graduate School of Science and Engineering 2006
Saarland University Multimodal Computing and Interaction 2006
University of Würzburg Graduate School for Life Sciences 2006
University of Bayreuth Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies 2007
Free University of Berlin Muslim Cultures and Societies: Unity and Diversity 2007
Free University of Berlin Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies 2007
Humboldt University of Berlin Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies 2007
Humboldt University of Berlin Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences 2007
University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology 2007
University of Bonn Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy 2007
University of Bremen Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences 2007
Darmstadt University of Technology Graduate School of Computational Engineering “Beyond Traditional Sciences” 2007
University of Göttingen Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences 2007
University of Heidelberg Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences 2007
University of Heidelberg The Hartmut Hoffmann-Berling International Graduate School of Molecular and Cellular Biology 2007
University of Jena Jena School for Microbial Communication 2007
University of Kiel Graduate School for Integrated Studies of Human Development in Landscapes 2007
University of Konstanz Konstanz Research School “Chemical Biology” 2007
University of Leipzig Building with Molecules and Nano-Objects 2007
University of Lübeck Graduate School for Computing in Medicine and Life Sciences 2007
University of Mainz Materials Science in Mainz 2007
Saarland University Saarbrücken Graduate School of Computer Science 2007
University of Stuttgart Graduate School for advanced Manufacturing Engineering in Stuttgart (GSaME) 2007
University of Ulm International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine Ulm 2007

Winners: Clusters of Excellence

(coordinating) University Clusters of Excellence Year of Award
RWTH Aachen University Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries 2006
RWTH Aachen University Ultra High-Speed Mobile Information and Communication (UMIC) 2006
Free University of Berlin / Humboldt University of Berlin Topoi. The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations 2006
University of Bonn Mathematics: Foundations, Models, Applications 2006
Dresden University of Technology From Cells to Tissues to Therapies: Engineering the Cellular Basis of Regeneration 2006
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main Macromolecular Complexes 2006
University of Gießen Cardio-Pulmonary System 2006
University of Göttingen Microscopy at the Nanometer Range 2006
Hannover Medical School From Regenerative Biology to Reconstructive Therapy 2006
University of Heidelberg Cellular Networks: From Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms to a Quantitative Understanding of Complex Functions 2006
University of Karlsruhe (TH) (Technische Hochschule) Center for Functional Nanostructures 2006
University of Kiel The Future Ocean 2006
University of Konstanz Cultural Foundations of Social Integration 2006
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich 2006
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Munich Center for Advanced Photonics 2006
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Nanosystems Initiative Munich 2006
Technical University of Munich Cognition for Technical Systems 2006
Technical University of Munich Origin and Structure of the Universe – The Cluster of Excellence for Fundamental Physics 2006
RWTH Aachen University Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass 2007
Free University of Berlin Languages of Emotion 2007
Humboldt-Universität Berlin NeuroCure: Towards a Better Outcome of Neurological Disorders 2007
Technical University of Berlin Unifying Concepts in Catalysis 2007
University of Bielefeld Cognitive Interaction Technology 2007
University of Bremen The Ocean in the Earth System 2007
Darmstadt University of Technology Smart Interfaces: Understanding and Designing Fluid Boundaries 2007
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Engineering of Advanced Materials – Hierarchical Structure Formation for Functional Devices 2007
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main Formation of Normative Orders 2007
University of Freiburg Centre for Biological Signalling Studies – From Analysis to Synthesis 2007
University of Hamburg Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction 2007
University of Hannover Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research (QUEST) 2007
University of Heidelberg Asia and Europe in a Global Context: Shifting Asymmetries in Cultural Flows (EXC270) 2007
University of Kiel Inflammation at Interfaces 2007
University of Cologne Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases 2007
University of Münster Religion and Politics in Pre-Modern and Modern Cultures 2007
Saarland University Multimodal Computing and Interaction 2007
University of Stuttgart Simulation Technology 2007
University of Tübingen CIN – Centre for Integrative Neuroscience 2007

References

  1. ^ a b c German Science Council: The Excellence Initiative.
  2. ^ a b "A German Ivy League Takes Shape". SCIENCE / AAAS. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1013/1. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  3. ^ "Elite-Unis: Jubel in den Südstaaten". Spiegel Online. http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/studium/0,1518,512444,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  4. ^ "CORDIS: Science and Technology Indicators: Snapshots" (pdf). Third European Report on Science and Technology Indicators. ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/indicators/docs/3rd_report_snaps10.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  5. ^ "CORDIS: Science and Technology Indicators: full version". Third European Report on Science and Technology Indicators. http://cordis.europa.eu/indicators/third_report.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  6. ^ "ARWU 2008" (html). Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822124509/http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_A(EN).htm. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  7. ^ "THES 2008" (html). THES - QS Top Universities 2008. http://www.topuniversities.com/university_rankings/results/2008/overall_rankings/fullrankings/. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  8. ^ "USNWR 2008" (html). US News and World Report World's Best Colleges and Universities Ranking 2008. http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-colleges/2008/11/20/worlds-best-colleges-and-universities-top-200.html?loomia_ow=t0:a41:g29:r1:c0.322994705254:b20174415. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
  9. ^ Comment of Anette Schavan on the results of the Excellence Initiative
  10. ^ Bundesbildungsministerium: „Exzellenzinitiative“, Abschnitt Graduiertenschulen