Newly Announced Elite Research Groups to Propel Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia to the Forefront of Innovation - Cutting-edge Research Clusters to be Established at NRW-University in the Coming Years: 15 Research Areas Identified for Elite-Level Scholarship
North Rhine-Westphalia's Universities to Secure 15 Excellence Clusters in International Leading-Edge Research by 2026
The universities in North Rhine-Westphalia will secure 15 excellence clusters for international leading-edge research from 2026, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced in Bonn. Eight universities in the state will receive annual funding of up to 10 million euros for seven years.
North Rhine-Westphalia will again lead other federal states in this regard, as stated by the state government in Düsseldorf. Among the universities, the University of Bonn was the most successful, securing eight excellence clusters, more than any other university in Germany. In the previous funding period, Bonn university had secured six excellence clusters.
The 15 research projects will be distributed among the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, RWTH Aachen, the University of Cologne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, TU Dortmund, the University of Münster, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, which collaborates with Cologne, and newcomer the University of Siegen, which conducts research in collaboration with Bonn and Dortmund.
Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) stated that with 15 of the 70 confirmed excellence clusters nationwide, North Rhine-Westphalia is at the "absolute peak of international science." He also shared on the X platform, "Whether combating cancer and Alzheimer's, the energy transition, or IT security: our universities provide the answers to the big questions of our time." Science Minister Ina Brandes (CDU) mentioned "leading-edge research made in North Rhine-Westphalia."
Society-relevant topics will be tackled in the consortia, including climate-neutral construction, cybersecurity, age-related diseases, the human immune system, sustainable crop production, or the development of liquid energy carriers, amongst others.
An excellence cluster is a consortium at one or more universities funded by the federal government and the federal states that conducts internationally leading-edge research. The excellence clusters help bundle international leading-edge research on society-relevant topics, with scientists working interdisciplinary.
Universities that aim to achieve the coveted title of "excellence university" must have at least two clusters, university consortia three. In North Rhine-Westphalia, RWTH Aachen and the University of Bonn have so far achieved this special title. In the next round, in addition to Aachen and Bonn, the University of Cologne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, TU Dortmund will also meet the requirements for the race for excellence status.
Notable projects funded by the German Research Foundation in North Rhine-Westphalia include the ML4Q Quantum Research Collaboration, the West German Genome Center, and CEPLAS (Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences) at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. For a complete list of the leading-edge research projects, refer to the official announcements from the German Research Foundation or the respective universities.
- The new clusters will focus on a range of societal issues, including climate-neutral construction, cybersecurity, age-related diseases, and sustainable crop production, demonstrating the University of North Rhine-Westphalia's commitment to health-and-wellness, environmental-science, and scientific advancement.
- As the German Research Foundation announces the funding of 15 interdisciplinary excellence clusters, North Rhine-Westphalia's universities, such as the ML4Q Quantum Research Collaboration, West German Genome Center, and CEPLAS, will work together to address common medical-conditions and common organization of the market, contributing significantly to international leading-edge research.
