Press release of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture
A premiere: Four Hessian universities apply for the status of University of Excellence
Hesse enters the competition with two University Consortia of Excellence proposals
For the first time in the history of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments, Hessian universities are applying for the status of “University of Excellence”. By tomorrow’s deadline, a total of four Hessian universities will submit a letter of intent to the German Science and Humanities Council regarding their proposal in the “Universities of Excellence” funding line: Technical University of Darmstadt and Goethe University Frankfurt intend to submit a cross-border proposal in November as a University Consortium of Excellence together with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) alliance. Justus-Liebig University Giessen and Marburg University will submit a joint proposal as “Mittelhessen” University Consortium of Excellence. These proposals have been made possible through the brilliant success of the Hessian universities in the Clusters of Excellence funding line: six out of seven of the Hessian proposals submitted were successful in the Clusters of Excellence competition on 22 May 2025.
At today’s debate in the Hessian State Parliament, Science Minister Timon Gremmels declared: “Hesse is back on the map of research excellence. Following the immense success with the Clusters of Excellence, we will continue to closely accompany and support the universities on their way to becoming Universities of Excellence. For the universities, the title of “University of Excellence” means greater renown both on a national and on an international level and additional funding amounting to millions of euros. No Hessian university has ever qualified for the University of Excellence competition. The fact that, with the universities in Darmstadt and Frankfurt, as well as Giessen and Marburg, a total of four Hessian universities are now eligible to submit a proposal is an absolute novelty and shows that the Hessian universities conduct top-level research of the highest standard. We will support the universities with the same commitment as we have shown with regard to the Clusters of Excellence. We will seize this fantastisc opportunity for Hesse together!“.
Strong alliances
The four universities that are now eligible to submit a proposal will enter the competition with two University Consortia of Excellence proposals. Both alliances are based on long-standing cooperative relationships and strong areas of research. Science Minister Gremmels said: “Submitting proposals as consortia is smart and the right way to do it. The Universities Darmstadt and Frankfurt will submit a cross-border proposal together with Mainz University as part of their longstanding Rhine-Main Universities alliance. The Universities Giessen and Marburg will submit an equally strong joint proposal that builds on the cooperation structures that have been developed for years in Central Hesse.”
Central Hesse alliance of the Universities Giessen and Marburg
The two Universities Giessen and Marburg, which are located in close proximity to each other, have closely cooperated for many years. The cooperation is institutionalized; with the Research Campus of Central Hessen, the two universities established a long-term cooperation structure as early as 2016, together with Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen. The research alliance pools the cooperation partners’ research activities in several joint focus areas such as Mind, Brain and Behavior, Lung and Heart, Material, Molecule and Energy, Microorganisms and Viruses. Through their close cooperation, the universities were also able to develop a coordinated appointment policy and establish joint study programs. They also share their infrastructure.
The Rhine-Main Universities alliance (RMU)
Within the Rhine-Main Universities alliance, the Universities Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Mainz have cooperated closely on an institutional level since 2015. The three alliance partners cooperate closely across virtually all performance dimensions – from joint research projects and joint study programs to cooperatively shared infrastructure and coordinated recruitment of scientific staff. They have numerous joint research foci, for example in the areas of life sciences and medicine, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, as well as particle physics and material and energy research.
The "Universities of Excellence" funding line
The aim of the “Universities of Excellence” funding line is to support universities in Germany to further consolidate their international top positions in research – either as an individual university or as a university consortium. In the current funding period, eleven Universities of Excellence / University Consortia of Excellence are being funded throughout Germany. Each year, a total funding amount of 148 million euros is available. Universities of Excellence receive funding of up to 15 million euros and University Consortia of Excellence receive up to 28 million euros per year. The funding decisions will be announced in October 2026 and funding will start on 1 January 2027.
To be eligible to submit a proposal, universities must have at least two and university consortia at least three Clusters of Excellence. Due to the immense success in Hesse in the Clusters of Excellence funding line, where a total of six Clusters of Excellence were approved for funding, four Hessian universities were able to qualify for the Universities of Excellence funding line. The two universities in central Hesse will be involved in four of the six Hessian Clusters of Excellence, the three RMU universities will be involved in four of the six Hessian Clusters of Excellence and, with the Cluster of Excellence in Mainz, in a total of five Clusters of Excellence.
The Hessian Clusters of Excellence approved for funding in May and the universities involved:
- “Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI)”, Universities Giessen and Frankfurt in the field of cardiopulmonary research
- “Microbes-for-Climate (M4C)”, University Marburg in the field of microbiology
- “Post-Lithium Energy Storage (POLiS)”, Universities Giessen, Ulm and Karlsruhe in the field of battery research
- “Reasonable Artificial Intelligence (RAI)”, University Darmstadt in the field of artificial intelligence
- “SCALE – SubCellular Architecture of LifE”, University Frankfurt in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in the field of cell biology
- “The Adaptive Mind (TAM)”, Universities Giessen, Marburg and Darmstadt in the field of cognitive research