Made up of researchers from the international Committee of Experts and the federal and state ministers of science and research, the Excellence Commission met in Bonn on 22. May 2025 and selected 70 Clusters of Excellence for funding from 98 funding proposals. Between November 2024 and February 2025, 32 review panels with more than 400 researchers (around 90% based outside Germany) evaluated the proposals.
Of the 70 selected clusters, 45 are renewals and 25 new. They are hosted by 43 universities across 13 federal states. 43 clusters are led by a single university, 18 by two, and nine by consortia of three. Five clusters are based at universities in different several federal states. Nearly all involve non-university partners, and most are organised as interdisciplinary consortia. Funding for the selected Clusters of Excellence begins on 1. January 2026 and will run for seven years. As set out in the Excellence Strategy agreement, the 70 Clusters of Excellence will receive around 539 million EUR annually, with 75 percent funded by the federal government and 25 percent by the host state or states. The newly approved 25 Clusters of Excellence may subsequently apply for a second funding period of another seven years, for which they will then enter into competition with new cluster proposals.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is responsible for the Clusters of Excellence funding line, while the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) oversees the Universities of Excellence, which are based on the cluster decisions. Since 1. November 2019, ten universities and one consortium of three universities have received funding under the Universities of Excellence line. Of these, ten have now secured the required number of Clusters of Excellence to remain eligible. Those institutions must submit a self-assessment by 1. August 2025, followed by on-site evaluations. Funding decisions will be made in March 2026, with new funding starting on 1. January 2027, pending a positive evaluation.
In addition, 15 further universities are now eligible to apply under the Universities of Excellence line, having secured the necessary number of Clusters of Excellence. With one institution exiting, up to five new spots are available. Final decisions will be made in October 2026, with funding to start on 1. January 2027.
Details of the selected clusters, the universities which submitted the proposals and their locations are available as a comprehensive list and shown on a map of Germany.
