Overview
- The renewed sites are RWTH Aachen, University of Bonn, Berlin University Alliance (FU, HU, TU, Charité), TU Dresden, University of Hamburg, University of Heidelberg, KIT Karlsruhe, LMU Munich, TU Munich and University of Tübingen, funded through 2033.
- The University of Konstanz exits the program after falling below the minimum number of Excellence Clusters required for institutional status.
- The Excellence Strategy now carries a €687 million annual budget, with typical institutional grants of about €10–15 million per university and higher sums for alliances.
- Decisions followed document audits and on-site visits by international experts and were adopted unanimously by the Excellence Commission of scientists and federal–state ministers.
- A second competition to add up to five new Excellence sites will conclude in autumn 2026, potentially expanding the roster to as many as 15.