On Wednesday, 6 December 2017, TU Dresden’s Rector Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen provided an update on the university’s application status for the Excellence Strategy by the Federal and State governments. All members of TU Dresden and interested parties from the DRESDEN-concept partner institutions were invited.  The information event detailed the participation conditions for the two funding lines i.e. the Clusters of Excellence and the Universities of Excellence. Priorities included the next steps to be taken in drafting the application for the status of ‘University of Excellence’ and the participation of TUD members. The Rector invited all members of the university to participate in the “Future Labs 2018” event series, during which central topics for the overall strategy of TU Dresden are to be discussed.