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The German Excellence Initiative

Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 20, 2012

Destination Europe Conference / Matthias Kleiner

The DFG

The DFG

► serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers

► supports the education and advancement of young scientific researchers

► promotes equality between men and women

► advises parliaments and public authorities on scientific matters

► fosters relations between research and the private sector and between scientists and academics at home and abroad



Germany’s largest research funding organisation


The Excellence Initiative

► promotes top-level research in Germany

► was launched in 2005 (total budget: € 1.9 million)

► received renewal approval in 2009 (Second Phase from 2012 – 2017; total budget: € 2.7 million)

► is coordinated by the DFG and the German Council of Science and Humanities

► is financed jointly by the German federal government (75%) and the states (25%)




The Excellence Initiative aims to

► strengthen German universities and departments

► enhance Germany’s attraction as a research location

► Increase Germany’s international competitiveness and visibility in all fields of science and the humanities

► Establish centres of excellence and raise the overall quality of German universities

Three funding lines

► 39 Graduate Schools (Highest level research training)

► 37 Clusters of Excellence (Centres of excellence in research)

► 9 Institutional Strategies (Increase international competitive ability of the entire university)



Approx. 4,000 new positions were created

► EXC and GSC:

~ 2,200 doctoral positions

~ 660 positions for postdocs

~ 70 junior professorships

~ 110 senior professorships

► Institutional Strategies:

~ 850 positions for early career researchers

(doctoral level to group leader)

~ 145 junior & senior professorships[February 2009]

Impacts of the Excellence Initiative (First Phase)



Three Funding Lines: GSC, EXC, ISEvaluation and Decision-Making Process 2

GSCESC

Submission of Full Proposals Initial & Renewal Proposals

Sept. 1st, 2011

37 Panels1st and 2nd Line

63 GSC & 64 EXC

Evaluation Groups16 Site Visits

3rd Line: Institutional Strategies

Excellence Initiative Grant Committee

EvaluationNov. 11 – March 12

Preparation of the Selection

Recommendations for all 3 Funding Lines

Decision

Announcement of the Decision, June 15, 2012

Expert Commission Strategic Commission

Joint Commission

IS

DFG

http://www.wissenschaftsrat.de/fr_rechts.htm



Excelencia Internacional / CEI

Spain

Investissements d´Avenir

France

The Center of Excellence (CoE) program

Denmark

Further Excellence Initiatives in Europe and Israel

Israeli Centers of Research Excellence (I-CORE)Israel

What are the DFG’s objectives in funding top young talent?

► From all scientific disciplines are supported

► From Germany are retained and that those from abroad

are attracted

► Have the freedom they require to perform excellent research

► Are supported by first-class research environments

► Are equipped with the necessary resources for their projects



The DFG’s promotion of young researchers aims to ensure that outstanding scientists

What are the DFG’s objectives in funding top young talent?To offer researchers appropriate funding options at each career stage

Studies Doctorate Postdoc PeriodAchievement of eligibility for tenure

Preparation for scientific mgmt position

Professorshipor other scientific mgmt position

Emmy NoetherProgramme

Heisenbergprofessorship

Heisenbergfellowship

Research Training Group fellowship

Research fellowship(abroad)



Research in a Research Training Group

Research Training Group position

Temp. principal investigator position (Germany)



Student assistantin DFG project

Position in DFG project






For more information► on the initiative’s projects: www.excellence-initiative.com► on the DFG: www.dfg.de► on DFG-funded projects: www.dfg.de/gepris/► on over 17,000 German research institutes: www.dfg.de/rex





Aachen TH: Integrative ProductionTechnology for High-Wage Countries► researching the conditions for the

successful production in high-wage countries

► building on the existing technology roadmap, incorporating business and industry cases with partner companies

Bonn U: Mathematics: Foundations, Models, Applications► series of thematic priorities, multidisciplinarity► cooperation of international visiting professors with colleagues in Bonn e.g.:

G. Faltings (Fields-Medal), R. Selten (Nobel prize economics)

Konstanz U: Cultural Foundations of Social Integration► social integration and disintegration on all social strata► the cluster offers scholarly exchange on a cross-disciplinary basis

Dresden TU: From Cells toTissues to Therapies► research on human stem

cells for controlled regeneration

► develop new therapies in the fight against Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Parkinson’s

Dresden TUAachen TH

Bonn U

Konstanz U

The German Excellence InitiativeClusters of Excellence – 4 Examples

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Technology

excellence initiatives

german research institutes

toplevel research

german councilof science

dfgfunded projects

german federal government75

gsc submission

cooperationamong researchers