Aug 11, 2025
TUD on the path to its next Excellence funding
Press release/Cindy Ullmann
When it comes to the University of Excellence title, 2025 is a crucial year for TUD: In May, TUD secured five Clusters of Excellence, attesting to the university's outstanding research credentials. This allows TUD to enter the evaluation phase as a University of Excellence.
The evaluation has started with a self-assessment report, which TUD submitted to the German Science and Humanities Council on August 1 after months of hard work – an essential milestone for TUD and the next phase of its Excellence funding. The self-assessment report summarizes what TUD was able to achieve over the past six years with the help of Excellence funding. It also outlines the strategic vision for the next phase from 2027 to 2033. “We have been able to accomplish a great deal together,” said Rector Prof. Ursula Staudinger after submitting the report. "We are continuing to build on this as we develop our university with new focal points, both regionally and globally. I would like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues who have contributed to this. It was a lot of hard work, but we did it! We are TUD I The Collaborative University!”
In the next step, TUD will be assessed by an international panel of experts during an on-site visit in November. The measures to be evaluated include international alumni activities, which have been enriching the work of the Alumni Office for several years. The German Science and Humanities Council will present the evaluation results in March 2026. Then, it will be decided whether the TUD will retain its status as a University of Excellence.
If the conditions are still fulfilled, the funding is continued. If the evaluation has a negative result, the university drops out of funding with a phase-out period of completion funding.
Background: TUD as a University of Excellence
TUD has proven successful in the previous Excellence Initiative programs of the Federal and State governments. After receiving its first Cluster of Excellence in 2006, TUD was named a University of Excellence for the first time in 2012. Since 2019, the university has received continual funding as a University of Excellence as part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments. As such, it must undergo an evaluation every seven years.