"The success of Hamburg's applications in the 'Excellence Initiative' provides additional impetus for developing the city as a science centre," said Peter Tschentscher, Mayor of Hamburg. From 2026, the five Clusters of Excellence in Hamburg will conduct interdisciplinary research into key future issues. Four of the clusters at the University of Hamburg (UHH), which have been funded since 2018, focus on climate research, photon and nanosciences, particle physics, and manuscript research. The newly added cluster, "BlueMat: Water-Driven Materials", at TU Hamburg, will research environment-friendly materials that change when they come into contact with water. The Clusters of Excellence are funded for a period of seven years.
Winning projects to receive funding for second period via state and federal governments Excellence Strategy
Five clusters of excellence have been secured as part of the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments, a press release said Thursday (May 22, 2025). The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat) have announced the winning projects. Four existing clusters and a new cluster of excellence in Hamburg will receive funding for a second period. The Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) has joined forces with the University of Hamburg (UHH) this time.
Boost for Hamburg as a centre of science
Clusters of excellence real funding boosters
"The five Clusters of Excellence provide substantial funding for the two universities, their partners, and our science centre," said Katharina Fegebank, Deputy Mayor of Hamburg and Senator for Science, Research and Equality. The Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments is one of the largest funding schemes for top research in Germany. €533 million is available annually until 2025 and will increase to €687 million per annum from 2026. The funds boost interdisciplinary research alliances conducting cutting-edge research, known as Clusters of Excellence. Particularly successful universities become "Universities of Excellence". In 2019, the University of Hamburg became the only one in northern Germany to receive this designation. The approved projects will enable the university to retain the title following a review in autumn.
"The funded Clusters of Excellence will open up huge potential for innovation, transfer and collaboration," according to Malte Heyne, Managing Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg. "They boost startups, strengthen the networking of science and business and help secure qualified specialists. Hamburg is aising its profile as a centre of cutting-edge research and forward-looking economic development," he added.
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