11 Mar 2026
Within the framework of the nationwide Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments, LMU has once again successfully asserted itself, further consolidating its status as one of Europe’s leading research universities.
Since the launch of the Excellence competitions in 2006, LMU has received continuous funding. It is now reaffirming its role as Germany’s most successful comprehensive university. “This is an important success for LMU and for Munich as a center of science and scholarship,” says University President Prof. Dr. Matthias H. Tschöp. “My special thanks go to our researchers and staff, who laid the foundation for this renewed distinction long ago.” The basis of this success is the long-term strategic program LMUexcellent – A New Perspective.
Bavaria’s Minister of Science, Markus Blume, congratulates: “An outstanding distinction for Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich: The fact that Bavaria’s largest university has held the title of Excellence University continuously since the beginning of the Excellence Initiative is no coincidence—it is a clear expression of exceptional academic strength. LMU sets standards both nationally and across Europe. As a true comprehensive university, it combines an impressive breadth of subjects with outstanding depth in research. It is particularly at the interfaces between disciplines that the university unfolds its full potential. From medicine to the natural and life sciences to the humanities, this is where ideas emerge that transcend boundaries, drive bold innovation, and provide answers to the major questions of our time. LMU shines with Nobel laureates as well as with outstanding newcomers. Congratulations and sincere thanks to the researchers and the university leadership for their exceptional work and this consistently outstanding achievement. LMU is a true flagship for Bavaria—for both tradition and high-tech innovation.”
“We will now further sharpen our international profile as a leading comprehensive university in the European Union, even under rapidly changing conditions,” emphasizes Tschöp. “To this end, we will expand our interdisciplinary strengths and our strong collaborations with Technische Universität München and international partners, while continuing to attract the most outstanding minds worldwide to LMU. We aim to translate our scientific discoveries even more effectively into solutions for key – including societal – challenges. The Excellence status gives us additional momentum for all of this.”
View of the historic main building of LMU (LMU)
A central foundation of the Excellence status is the seven Clusters of Excellence successfully acquired by LMU in 2025, including one in the humanities that represents a particular distinguishing feature for the university. “Our humanities have ranked among the world’s top disciplines in international rankings for years and are the highest-ranked subject group within LMU - we are extremely proud of this. The new Cluster of Excellence Cross-Cultural Philology makes this strength visible and serves as a starting point to further reinforce the humanities and link them even more closely with the full range of disciplines at LMU in order to jointly address the complex challenges facing our society,” says Tschöp.
In terms of content, LMU is sharpening its profile along six future-oriented fields: Digits and Data, Earth and Environment, Languages and Cultures, Life and Health, Physics, and Systems and Communities. Strategic investments in data science and artificial intelligence will provide particular impetus. The early integration of an international student body into research, the expansion of global partnerships, and the strategic development of the campus will ensure LMU’s sustainable competitiveness. Together with Munich’s second University of Excellence, Technische Universität München, LMU will systematically leverage further synergies for collaboration and close exchange within the framework of the “One Munich Strategy.”
With this positive decision, the international expert jury and the Joint Science Conference recognize the university’s outstanding research performance, its sustainable strategic development, and its excellent support for early-career researchers. “The renewed award confirms our consistent focus on internationally competitive cutting-edge research and scientific innovation,” says Tschöp.
11 Mar 2026
From 2019 to 2026, ten universities and one university consortium have been funded as Universities of Excellence under the federal and state governments’ funding line “Universities of Excellence.” The aim of the program is to support these institutions, building on their successful Clusters of Excellence, in expanding their international leadership in research.
Funding decisions are made by the Excellence Commission, composed of the Committee of Experts and the federal and state ministers responsible for science and research. As the only comprehensive university and one of only two universities in Germany, LMU has been continuously funded as a University of Excellence since the beginning of the German Excellence competitions in 2006. Most recently, it succeeded in the Excellence Strategy with a total of seven Clusters of Excellence.
LMU’s Clusters of Excellence: