Three applications for continued funding and two new project proposals were successful in the highly competitive Excellence Strategy competition. The research topics span the natural sciences, life sciences, and social sciences and were selected thanks to their compelling concepts. The number and scope of the Clusters that have been selected to receive funding highlight the strength of Berlin’s research landscape and the active culture of cooperation across its universities and institutions. They will further help to shape the city’s profile as a global research and innovation hub – advancing the shared goals of the Berlin University Alliance that is made up of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. With this foundation, Germany’s capital remains firmly anchored within the Excellence Strategy and continues to enjoy its reputation as a center for cutting-edge research, both in Germany and on the international stage.

“This outcome strengthens our flagship research areas across Berlin’s academic landscape and allows us to launch two new high-impact projects,” says Professor Günter M. Ziegler, spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance and president of Freie Universität Berlin. “At the same time, we see it as a call to refine our shared strategic direction. The competition was intense, and the quality of proposals exceptionally high, which makes the board of directors of the Berlin University Alliance all the more grateful to everyone involved for their outstanding dedication. The projects that were ultimately not selected also deserve the highest recognition; they underscore the remarkable breadth and diversity of Berlin’s research community.”

Dr. Ina Czyborra, head of the Berlin Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health, and Long-Term Care, says, “Berlin is and will remain a central location of scientific and academic innovation and cutting-edge research in Germany. The funding of five Clusters of Excellence shows that the German capital is synonymous with internationally visible excellence in research. I would like to congratulate the universities and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin on this success. A big thank you goes out to all the scientists and researchers involved in all ten of the applications. They have worked hard in recent years for Berlin’s future as a hub of research activity. The cornerstone for the continuation of the Berlin University Alliance as a network of excellence was laid today. Together, we will now forge ahead to strengthen and further develop our integrated knowledge and innovation space.”

“The result affirms the value of our work together, especially amid the deep-seated changes we are experiencing today,” says Dr. Alexandra-Gwyn Paetz, Managing Director of the Berlin University Alliance. “It also provides fresh impetus to further develop our collaboration within the alliance and with our partners in Berlin and around the world in strategic terms. Berlin stands for the relevance of top-notch science and research, and we plan to prove it now and into the future.”

The German federal and state governments’ Excellence Strategy is the country’s flagship program for supporting internationally competitive, cutting-edge research. Across Germany, seventy Clusters of Excellence will be receiving a total of 539 million euros for the next funding period. The following five Berlin-based proposals were granted Cluster of Excellence status and will receive funding for the 2026‒2032 funding period.

Center for Chiral Electronics, CCE (new proposal)

The rapidly increasing global energy consumption driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing calls for new technologies. With the ambitious goal of developing new concepts for more efficient ultrafast electronics, the Cluster of Excellence Center for Chiral Electronics (CCE) aims to counter the rise in energy demand caused by emerging technologies in a long-term and sustainable way.

• Applicant universities: Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Freie Universität Berlin, University of Regensburg
• Spokespersons: Georg Woltersdorf (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg), Katharina Franke (Freie Universität Berlin), Christoph Strunk (University of Regensburg)

ImmunoPreCept – Cell-Based Molecular Prevention and Interceptive Medicine: Exploring the Health-Disease Bifurcation (new proposal)

Chronic diseases such as immune-mediated inflammation and cancer are on the rise. Present-day therapies are often started too late and address symptoms instead of causes. Together with the Max Delbrück Center, ImmunoPreCept will research approaches that help keep people healthy and promote prevention and early therapeutic intervention.

• Applicant universities: Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin on behalf of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Spokespersons: Britta Siegmund, Andreas Diefenbach (both Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Nikolaus Rajewsky (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine)

MATH+ – Berlin Mathematics Research Center (application for continued funding)

This Cluster of Excellence develops mathematical methods to analyze complex systems like the climate, the spread of disease, or mobility, thereby helping to identify solutions to key challenges of the future.

• Applicant universities: Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin
• Spokespersons: Sebastian Pokutta (Technische Universität Berlin and Zuse Institute Berlin); Andrea Walther (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin); Claudia Schillings (Freie Universität Berlin)

NeuroCure – New Approaches to Research and Treatment for Diseases of the Nervous System (application for continued funding)

The NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence focuses on neuroscience and aims to bridge the gap between research and applied clinical practices. It studies the pathophysiological processes that can be found in neurological and psychiatric disorders with the aim of developing successful therapies and diagnostic tools.

• Applicant universities: Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin on behalf of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Spokespersons: Dietmar Schmitz (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

SCRIPTS – Contestations of the Liberal Script (application for continued funding)

The liberal script is increasingly coming under pressure due to the perceived failure to deliver on its promises. Radicalization and polarization tend to turn criticism of the liberal script into rejection of its core principles. SCRIPTS examines this deepening of contestations from a global, comparative, and historical perspective and seeks to explain their causes and understand their consequences.

• Applicant universities: Freie Universität Berlin
• Spokesperson: Tanja Börzel (Freie Universität Berlin)

The Berlin University Alliance

The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is an alliance comprised of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. These strong academic partners are working together to position Berlin as one of the world’s leading science and innovation hubs, as well as to further develop the research landscape within Berlin. BUA is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the State of Berlin as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.