North Rhine-Westphalia has strengthened its leading position in the selection of Clusters of Excellence for the upcoming funding period from 2026.
In future, 15 of the 70 Clusters of Excellence across Germany will be based at NRW universities. The decision of the Excellence Commission: Twelve of the 14 Clusters of Excellence in NRW to date will continue to receive funding. In addition, three new, outstanding research alliances have been acquired.
“A great success for our universities and a clear signal for the scientific excellence of our state. NRW is not only playing in the Champions League of top-level research nationally, but also internationally,” emphasized the Chairman of the State Rectors’ Conference, Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels. In this context, Wessels expressly acknowledged the continuous support from the state’s Ministry of Culture and Science. At the same time, he warned: “The competition never sleeps – especially in southern Germany, the competition is catching up. It is now important to use the tailwind, invest wisely in science and continue to equip the universities in the best possible way for future challenges.”
Outstanding achievements in internationally significant fields of research are a prerequisite for project funding as a Cluster of Excellence. This also includes excellent training opportunities for young scientists and the chance for young researchers to make a name for themselves.
The selection also has an impact on the Universities of Excellence: Universities wishing to achieve the title of “University of Excellence” must have at least two clusters, university alliances must have three.
There are eleven Universities of Excellence or university alliances nationwide. In the next funding period from 2027, the number could rise to 15 universities. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the University of Bonn and RWTH Aachen have so far been awarded the coveted status of University of Excellence. In the next round, in addition to Aachen and Bonn, the University of Cologne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum and TU Dortmund University will now also meet the requirements for the race for excellence status. This means that five universities from North Rhine-Westphalia can submit an individual application in the University of Excellence procedure – more than in any other federal state.