TUM to Receive Funding for Seven Clusters of Excellence, Two Schools on Campus Heilbronn Are Involved

Four existing clusters were able to prove themselves in the international review process. They will be funded for a further seven years with a future-oriented focus on Quantum Technologies, Energy Conversion, Neurological Diseases, and the Origin of the Universe. In addition, there are three new Clusters of Excellence that were able to convince the international review panels with leading research approaches in the fields of Societal Transformation Through Technologies, Nucleic Acid Research, and Biosystem Design.

"Our excellent scientists and their strong partners once again underline the leading position of Munich science. This has created the conditions for us to be able to compete for the title of University of Excellence for the fourth time in a row since 2006," says TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann. "Once again, our team spirit and the trustful cooperation between the two Munich universities with the Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Zentrum München, which is based on trust and tailored to their respective strengths, has proven to be the right strategic approach to excellence research," emphasizes Hofmann.

“Congratulations to the entire TUM community on the funding of seven Clusters of Excellence. This recognition underscores the outstanding research strength and innovative power of TUM, which we promote locally at TUM Campus Heilbronn in the Heilbronn-Franconia region, thereby connecting the regional economy with scientific expertise,” says Prof. Ali Sunyaev, Vice President of TUM for Campus Heilbronn.

Approved Clusters of Excellence with Participation of the Schools at the TUM Campus Heilbronn:

• Munich Center for Transformative Technologies and Social Change (TransforM)
  
  On the one hand, transformative technologies are seen as the key to significant challenges such as climate change, energy, mobility, and healthcare provision; on the other hand, they are causing increasing innovation skepticism and public controversy. As an interdisciplinary social science cluster, TransforM aims to rethink theories, methods, and practices of participation, legitimacy, responsibility, security, and resilience in relation to transformative technologies for dynamically changing societies. At the same time, the cluster wants to research how these social concerns can be anchored more effectively in innovation processes to harmonize technological progress and economic opportunities with future social, ecological, and political interests.

  In addition to the TUM as the applicant, the LMU, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research (ifo Institute, Munich), the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy (HfP), and the Leibniz Center for European Economic Research (ZEW, Mannheim) are involved in TransforM. The spokesperson on the TUM side is Prof. Sebastian Pfotenhauer (Innovation Research).
   

• Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)
  
  MCQST researches the scientific foundations of complex quantum systems and creates the technological basis for quantum technology, a key future technology of the 21st century. The researchers address important fields of application, ranging from quantum computers, powerful quantum information systems, and quantum sensors to novel quantum materials. In the second funding phase, the Cluster of Excellence aims to expand basic research into the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and use it for innovative applications in the fields of data processing, communication, metrology and sensor technology, materials science, chemistry, and medicine.

  In addition to TUM and LMU as joint applicants, the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, the Walther Meissner Institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Deutsches Museum are also involved in MCQST. The spokespersons on the TUM side are Prof. Barbara Kraus (Physics) and Prof. Ignacio Cirac (Physics / MPI for Quantum Optics). 

What is the Excellence Strategy?

With the Excellence Strategy, the federal and state governments support top scientific achievements, research cooperation, and the development of the profile of German universities. The funding program consists of two funding lines, the Clusters of Excellence, in which universities and research institutions conduct joint research, and the Universities of Excellence, whose leading position in research is to be expanded. Only universities that have been successful with at least two clusters of excellence can apply for additional funding as a University of Excellence. TUM once again fulfills this requirement.

TUM has already been successful three times in all funding lines of the Excellence Initiative (2006, 2012) and the Excellence Strategy (2019) of the German federal and state governments. Now it is heading for the funding program for top German universities for a fourth time. The decision on the title of University of Excellence will be made in 2026. The Excellence Strategy is implemented by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). Both oversee the selection and regular evaluation of the universities and the funded research projects.

Further information and links

• The Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments 
• Clusters of Excellence at the TUM