Highlights and next steps were presented at the Excellence Strategy information event. Roadmap for the next round in the excellence competition.

Magdalena Selbig

TU Dresden's information event on its Excellence Strategy on the afternoon of December 14, 2021 generated a lot of interest. Around 400 university members attended the Zoom meeting to discuss the progress of the various excellence projects. The event was hosted by Rector Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger, Chief Communication Officer Marion Schmidt, and Vice-Rector of Research, Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff.

Strategic considerations primarily focused on the current period of funding from 2022 to 2026 and on the next round of funding from 2026 onward: Exposés and drafts for potential Clusters of Excellence (EXC) in the future will be gathered over the next few months and, after TUD, the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the German Council of Science and Humanities have made a selection, presented in 2023. Full proposals will then be drafted within a year by August 2024, and funding decisions will be made in May 2025. The internal evaluation of the application for the excellence funding line (EXU, funding of measures for further development of TUD) will be carried out at the end of 2023, halfway through the first funding period. An extensive self-evaluation report on the progress and current achievements will be composed in 2024, submitted in 2025, and then followed up by an on-site assessment shortly thereafter. The self-evaluation report and assessment will be used to reach a decision in March 2026 about the continued funding of TUD as a University of Excellence.

Trends concerning EXU were discussed in the subsequent round of questions. Rector Prof. Staudinger pointed out how excellence has an impact on the entire university and what advantages it has on teaching: 'I think it's important for all TUD members to understand that they can leverage excellence for themselves—with funding opportunities that will help us all progress.' Henriette Greulich, Head of the ZiLL (Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching), provided information on research-related teaching instruments supported by EXU funds: FOSTER (funded more than 30 research-oriented teaching and student projects since 2021), the annual StuFo-Expo (Student Research Expo), the Teaching Synergies Program (integration of DDc partners into teaching), and Teaching Excellence Tracks (currently four modules at the International Institute (IHI) Zittau, in which students receive scientific coaching on the topic of 'biodiversity management,' etc.) are all formats for promoting research-related student activities. Other highlights discussed included the advisory/consultancy service provided by the Postdoc Center in cooperation with Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the commencement of humanities research by the TU Disruption and Societal Change Center (TUDiSC), and the expansion of DRESDEN-concept e.V. (DDc) into the Dresden Science and Innovation Campus through the launch of DDc research groups.

The Rector outlined the main challenges facing the status of excellence. For example, pandemic-related restrictions have made distributing funds more difficult than expected. The day-to-day creative activities of everybody involved must also be converted into figures that can be measured quantitatively, as this documentation is vital for the upcoming evaluation. That is why it is also essential to further promote digitalization in order to ensure the timely management of things. She also emphasized the key role of diversity: 'Excellence is associated with a variety of perspectives. With every call to apply for funding, it's important to keep in mind how we can introduce more diversity to the university.'

During the last stage of the event, Prof. Angela Rösen-Wolff interviewed the spokespersons of the three Clusters of Excellence on their milestones, communication formats, and outlook for the new year. 

From the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat (research and design of quantum materials for future technologies; cooperation with the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg in the fields of physics, chemistry, and materials science), Prof. Matthias Vojta reported on the status of the new appointments and one of the cluster's specialist publications published in Science Magazine and voted among the 'Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year 2021' by Physics World. The graduate network 'Quantum Matter Academy' also finally reconvened after having to take a break due to the coronavirus pandemic. The cluster drew worldwide attention for launching the award-winning game app 'Kitty Q—a quantum adventure,' which is to be followed up in 2022 by the YouTube series 'QUANTube' which uses videos to explain quantum physics.

On behalf of the Cluster of Excellence CeTI, which conducts research on the tactile Internet through human-machine interaction, including electrical engineering, information technology (IT), mechanical science, psychology, medicine, etc., Prof. Shu-Chen Li also spoke about the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence's podcast 'Exzellent erklärt!' (Excellently explained) and its first successful episode, as well as about the cooperation with the 6G-life research hub which is funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). CeTI will visit over 100 schools in Saxony to inspire future students about digitalization and the basics behind new types of robot communication. Various demonstrators were set up for this purpose in 2021 and research on smart textiles with haptic feedback was further promoted.

Prof. Stephan Grill from the Cluster of Excellence PoL, which studies the physical principles behind the dynamic organization of living matter, in particular in biophysics, biology, and information technology (IT), talked about developments, such as the plan to bring eleven research groups under one roof in a new research institute building and to implement the international workshop 'Physics of living systems,' through which the cluster networked globally. In 2022, one of the many activities PoL wishes to pursue is to explore the structural formation processes in cells and tissues from the perspective of polymer and tissue physics, offer a master's program with the same name for the first time, appoint four more research group leaders, and curate an exhibition for Technische Sammlungen Dresden (Technical Collections Dresden).

The Rector wrapped up the event by looking at the potential that can be tapped by TU Dresden through the promotion of excellence. The Excellence Strategy makes it possible for the university to realize a diverse array of activities and take on a prominent role in the Free State of Saxony and across Germany. It is 'essential for all members that we succeed in continuing to be excellent. Only with their commitment, can we keep things on track,' says Prof. Staudinger.

Dresdner Universitätsjournal 2/2022 
https://tu-dresden.de/uj