Excellence initiative by the German federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities

Further to the resolutions of the Joint Commission of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) and the German Science Council of 28 July 2005, the DFG announces the following funding programme:

On 23 June 2005 the federal and state governments concluded the agreement on the “excellence initiative”, which was reached by the Federal-State Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion. The aim of the initiative is to promote top-level research and improve the quality of German universities and research institutions, thereby making a significant contribution to strengthening science and research in Germany.

The programme is based on a standard, project-related competitive procedure. The joint funding covers the scientific activities of the candidate universities and their partners at universities, in non-university research and in the private sector, and consists of the following funding lines

• Graduate schools to promote young researchers
• Excellence clusters to promote world-class research
• Plans for advancing top-level university research

Universities, represented by their administrations, are eligible to apply. Around 40 graduate schools will be provided with an average annual funding amount of 1 million euros each, and approximately 30 excellence clusters will receive an average of 6.5 million euros per year. The number of universities funded for the third line will be subject to the following framework conditions: a) Universities must have been granted funding for at least one excellence cluster and at least one graduate school to be eligible for third-line funding. b) The total average amount of funding for the third line, including funding for graduate schools and excellence clusters, will be 21 million euros per year for each university. If applications are submitted for several graduate schools and excellence clusters, the total funding may be significantly higher than this average value. The actual approved sum is based on overall decisions for all three funding lines.

In addition to this, a general allowance of 20 percent of the funding amount will be provided to cover indirect expenses related to the funding.

Two calls for proposals, approximately equivalent in terms of financial value, are planned, with approvals for this first round scheduled for October 2006. The second call for proposals is scheduled for spring 2006, with approvals expected in autumn 2007. The funding period for each of these calls for proposals is five years. The federal and state governments will decide on the continuation of the programme in 2009.

All universities in Germany are invited to submit draft proposals for the three funding lines.

Graduate schools are a quality instrument for promoting young researchers and are based on the principle of educating outstanding doctoral students in an excellent research setting. Graduate schools therefore offer optimal conditions for doctorate students within a wide scientific area.

Excellence clusters are aimed at setting up internationally visible and competitive research and educational facilities at German universities and promoting the development of scientific networks and collaborations. Excellence clusters should therefore be an important part of a university’s strategic and topical planning, raise its profile and ensure that priorities are set. They should also provide excellent educational and career conditions for young researchers.

Plans for advancing top-level university research are aimed at developing top-level university research in Germany and increasing its competitiveness at an international level. The funding covers all measures that allow universities to develop and expand their areas of international excellence over the long term and to establish themselves as leading institutions in international competition. This will make a significant contribution to strengthening science and research in Germany in the long term and increasing the visibility of current research excellence.

The following general funding criteria apply to all three funding lines: excellence in research and in promoting young researchers in at least one general area of science, overall concept for networking disciplines and creating international research networks, collaborations between universities and with non-university research institutions, where possible formalised by practical and binding cooperation agreements. Another consideration is the effectiveness of measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities for men and women in the field of science.

The application process is divided into two stages. In the first stage, universities will be requested to submit draft proposals. For this first call for proposals, draft proposals for funding lines 1 and 2 must be received at the DFG’s Head Office by 30 September 2005 (closing date). They will be evaluated at comparative review sessions. Draft proposals for funding line 3 must be received at the DFG’s Head Office by 14 October 2005 (closing date). In January 2006, the Joint Commission – appointed by the DFG and the German Science Council – will hold a selection meeting to decide which initiatives will be allowed to apply. During this meeting, the Joint Commission will also decide whether universities, and if so which one(s), will be allowed to apply for the third funding line, if an application for an excellence cluster is submitted from more than one university and if one or more of these universities also presents a draft proposal for the third funding line. Invitations to submit applications will be issued immediately after the selection meeting. Applications will be reviewed in June and July 2006. On the recommendation of the Joint Commission, the Grants Committee appointed by the DFG is expected to reach a decision on funding for all three funding lines by the end of October 2006. Dates for the second call for proposals in spring 2006 will be announced in due course.

Draft proposals and proposals for all three funding lines must be sent to the DFG. Please note that draft proposals and proposals for all three funding lines must be sent to the DFG via the relevant state ministries.

Further information:

Further information on the programme is available in German only at:
www.dfg.de/exzellenzinitiative/
www.wissenschaftsrat.de/exini_start.html

For further information, please contact the following persons at the DFG and the German Research Council:

For the entire programme:
Dr. Beate Konze-Thomas, +49 (0) 228/885-2254, beate.konze-thomas@dfg.de
Dr. Sabine Behrenbeck, +49 (0) 221/3776-234, behrenbeck@wissenschaftsrat.de

For "graduate schools":
Dr. Jörg Schneider, +49 (0) 228/885-2424, joerg.schneider@dfg.de
Dr. Anselm Fremmer, +49 (0) 228/885-2397, anselm.fremmer@dfg.de

For "excellence clusters":
Dr. Klaus Wehrberger, +49 (0) 228/885-2355, klaus.wehrberger@dfg.de
Dr. Anne Lipp, +49 (0) 228/885-2423, anne.lipp@dfg.de

For "plans for advancing top-level university research"
Dr. Sabine Behrenbeck, 0221/3776-234, behrenbeck@wissenschaftsrat.de