Overview
- The Exzellenzkommission will publicly name any new Exzellenzuniversities on Friday, October 2, with winners chosen from international peer reviews and votes by federal and state science ministers.
- Designated universities receive seven years of concentrated funding tied to at least two approved Exzellenzcluster or three clusters for consortia and typical annual grants of roughly €10–15 million for single universities and €15–28 million for alliances.
- Regional bids still in contention include Leibniz Universität Hannover, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, and a Bremen–Oldenburg alliance planning cooperation with the University of Groningen.
- Critics argue the Exzellenzstrategie lacks a rigorous evaluation, increases inequality between large and smaller institutions, and fuels growth in professional grant‑management roles rather than strengthening core university funding.
- Universities and state science ministries say they will keep joint planning if they lose the award, but they caution that failure would forfeit millions planned for new professorships and slow regional research strategies.