Clusters of Excellence

Clusters of Excellence

LMU has been funded in the “Clusters of Excellence” funding line since the beginning of the Excellence Initiative, and now in the framework of the Excellence Strategy. Currently, LMU maintains four Clusters of Excellence, together with the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

MCQST: Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology

• since 2019, applied for jointly with TUM
• The Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST) explores the principles of quantum information to harness quantum mechanical effects.
• Other participating institutions: Walther Meissner Institute for Low Temperature Research, Deutsches Museum Munich, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ)
• MCQST website

Episodes of the Clusters of Excellence podcast Exzellent Erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle:
"Quantensimulation: Schlüssel zu Hochtemperatur-Supraleitern?" (in German, released July 1, 2024)
"Quantenwissenschaft – Grundlage der Technologien von morgen" (in German, released December 15, 2021)

ORIGINS: From the Origin of the Universe to the First Building Blocks of Life

• since 2019, applied for jointly with TUM
• The Cluster of Excellence ORIGINS investigates the development of the cosmos – “from the origin of the universe to the first building blocks of life”.
• Other participating institutions: Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), Max Planck Institute for Physics (Werner Heisenberg Institute), Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Deutsches Museum Munich, European Southern Observatory (ESO), Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ)
• ORIGINS website

Episodes of the Clusters of Excellence podcast Exzellent Erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle:
"Das Universum im Labor: Wie künstliche Intelligenz (KI) bei der Suche nach Elementarteilchen hilft" (in German, released September 15, 2024)
"Das ORIGINS of Life Lab: Der Entstehung des Lebens auf der Spur" (in German, released September 15, 2022)

SyNergy: Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology

• since 2012, applied for jointly with TUM
• The Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy) takes an integrative approach to deciphering the interplay of different pathomechanisms in the development of neurological diseases.
• Other participating institutions: Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (DZNE), Helmholtz Munich (HMGU), Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB), Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
• SyNergy website

Episodes of the Clusters of Excellence podcast Exzellent Erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle (in German):
"Alzheimer – Entstehung, Erkenntnisse, Forschungsfragen" (released October 4, 2021)
"Neurowissenschaften: Reparaturmechanismen im Gehirn" (released February 1, 2025)

„Der Podcast zur Demenzforschung: Verständlich erklärt" – Podcast series by the Cluster of Excellence SyNergy (in German; 10 episodes, released approx. every three weeks starting in September 2023)

e-conversion

• since 2019, applied for jointly with TUM
• Photovoltaics, catalysis, batteries – how can energy be converted more efficiently and sustainably? In the Cluster of Excellence e-conversion, researchers investigate the processes taking place at the interfaces between different materials.
• Other participating institutions: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC), Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI FKF)
• e-conversion website

Episodes of the Clusters of Excellence podcast Exzellent Erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle:
"Energie aus Licht – Die Magie der Photoelektrokatalyse" (in German, released July 15, 2024)
"Energieforschung – Starke Akkus für die Energiewende" (in German, released May 1, 2022)

Former Clusters of Excellence

In the two previous funding periods of the Excellence Initiative (2006-2012, 2012-2019), LMU maintained four Clusters of Excellence. In addition, until 2019, LMU also contributed significantly to a Cluster of Excellence maintained by the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

• More information on LMU’s funding in the Excellence Initiative (2006-2019)