Excellence Strategy

Excellence Strategy — Universities of Excellence Round 2 (decision, funding from)

Funds German universities strengthening long-term excellence through institutional research programs.

The Universities of Excellence (ExU) funding line is the institutional pillar of Germany's Excellence Strategy, designed to strengthen top German universities as research institutions and expand their international leadership on the basis of their Clusters of Excellence performance. A university or university network wishing to apply must host at least two Clusters of Excellence (three for a network) — cluster participation is the hard eligibility gate. Funded universities receive lasting institutional support without a fixed end date, subject to re-evaluation every seven years. Ten individual universities and one university network have held ExU status since November 2019 under Round 1.

The Round 2 process for Universities of Excellence is currently in progress. Existing ExU institutions submitted self-assessment reports in August 2025; new applicants submitted full proposals by mid-November 2025. Site visits for existing universities ran from October to December 2025; site visits for new applicants are scheduled for April to June 2026. The Committee of Experts assesses evaluation results in March 2026, and the Excellence Commission takes the final funding decision in September 2026. Up to four additional universities may receive ExU status in Round 2 compared with Round 1. Funding for newly selected universities starts 1 January 2027. Costs are split 75 percent Federal Government and 25 percent host Land.

The selection process is conducted by the Wissenschaftsrat on behalf of the Federal Government and Länder, with binding decisions made by the Excellence Commission — there is no appeals procedure. Organisations tracking this opportunity should note that submission windows have passed; the next actionable milestone is the September 2026 funding decision. Teams wishing to pursue Round 3 ExU status (expected after 2027) should plan to first secure and sustain Clusters of Excellence, then begin preparing for the institutional self-assessment process well in advance of any future call.