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We are delighted to announce that Heidelberg University has convincingly defended its status as a University of Excellence. The announcement came today (Wednesday, 11 March 2026) from the German Science and Humanities Council and the German Research Foundation. The continued status as a University of Excellence means that the university will receive funding for another seven years in order to continue strengthening its scientific and scholarly performance capability based on a strategic concept for the whole institution.
Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior, Rector of Ruperto Carola, states: “We are proud and happy to have brought about this significant success for our university and for Heidelberg as a research location. It is the result of a fantastic joint effort in which many members from all areas of our university have collaborated with enthusiasm and perseverance over a long period.”
A long-term programme of the federal and state governments, the “Excellence Strategy” pursues the goal of promoting research excellence in internationally competitive fields; it also seeks to strengthen universities in Germany institutionally and to optimize the German system of higher education. The current decision was about extending funding for universities that have already achieved excellence status. What tipped the balance here – unlike in previous competition rounds – was an evaluation of measures to date and evidence of a capacity for self-renewal. To that effect, Heidelberg University was assessed on site on the basis of its self-evaluation report by an international group of reviewers and members of the Committee of Experts. Together with the science ministers of the federal and state governments, this committee formed the Excellence Commission that has now taken the funding decisions. The funding for the Universities of Excellence starts on 1 January 2027.
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