TU Dresden has held the title of "University of Excellence" since 2012 – since its success in the Excellence Initiative. Since 2019, it has been one of the eleven German Universities of Excellence to receive funding as part of the follow-up Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments.

The measures outlined in the application "TUD 2028 – Synergy and beyond" can be divided into five strategic areas of activity with 13 projects.

In addition to the three Clusters of Excellence, individual measures at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences are also being funded. For example, the focus on societal change was identified as a central Emerging Field, which is strategically supported by targeted internal university funding instruments and investments and the appointment of the newly etablished key Chair of Digital Culture. Furthermore, societal disruption processes are being researched in the Disruption and Societal Change Center ( TUDiSC ).