What makes a university excellent? Perhaps its reputation or research output, the quality of its faculty or the accomplishments of its alumni. In Germany this month, applicants competed for a special designation given to only eleven universities: the "Universities of Excellence."
On Friday, July 19, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the
German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) announced the eleven universities that will hold the title "Universities of Excellence" for the next seven years. The title brings along with it €148 million that will be shared among the eleven winners annually. The aim of the program is to strengthen Germany's top universities so they can continue to compete among global institutions.
In a special edition of our newsletter we take a close look at the German Excellence Strategy and analyze the recent decision on Germany's "Universities of Excellence."
In a feature article, we investigate exactly what a University of Excellence is and the implications of the recent decision on the German higher education landscape.
Dark red dots represent current Universities of Excellence, while light red represent former
The basis of the decision on Germany's Universities of Excellence was the September 2018 decision on the 57 university research groups that will receive a collective €2.7 billion over the next seven years.
For more on these groups, the "Excellence Clusters," check out our October coverage.
Talented young researchers and entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their ideas for science and society at the Falling Walls Lab Boston. Winners receive a free trip to Berlin and a chance to compete and network at the international Falling Walls Lab Berlin. Application deadline: August 15.
More.
Hessen Minister President Volker Bouffier Delivers Keynote at July 8 Event on Data-Driven Innovation
