22 May 2025
LMU has reached a hugely significant milestone in the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments: All seven proposed Clusters of Excellence have successfully passed the review process and will be funded for seven years as of 2026.
“We’re delighted with this outstanding result in an extremely tough and competitive process,” says LMU President Prof. Bernd Huber. “The successful Clusters reflect the broad spectrum of academic pursuit at our university – from medicine to the natural and life sciences through to the humanities. This success emphasizes our scientific excellence. It is the result of the exceptional commitment and outstanding work of our researchers as well as our excellent cooperation with our strong partners, which is built on mutual trust and confidence. My sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed to this great achievement.”
“The outstanding success of the LMU Clusters of Excellence is an impressive validation of the strategic vision of President Huber and his team – but also of the extraordinary capabilities of LMU Munich and the Munich research landscape,” says LMU president-elect Professor Matthias Tschöp.
Bavarian Minister of Science Markus Blume comments on the success: “Huge success for our Munich universities: With seven approved proposals each, six of them jointly with each other, TUM and LMU have been tremendously successful in the Cluster of Excellence competition. It is clear that Munich is Germany’s excellence mecca and sets standards for innovation in Europe. Moreover, TUM and LMU are the preeminent universities in Germany, as they have demonstrated here once again. Munich shines today in particular – and all of Bavaria is a big winner, as all Bavarian cluster proposals were successful. We have doubled our number of clusters to twelve. No other state has added more clusters than we have. Playing the long game pays off! With the Bavarian High-Tech Agenda (HTA), we’ve systematically invested in science and research and substantially strengthened Bavaria as a scientific hub – the HTA is a real excellence booster.”
Four of the LMU Clusters of Excellence that were approved today already received funding in 2019 and have successfully applied for renewed funding. In addition, the Excellence Commission approved three proposals for new Clusters. Funding will commence on 1 January 2026 and last for seven years.
The successful LMU Clusters of Excellence are internationally visible top-level research centers. They address research topics that are cross-disciplinary in nature and also have a particular relevance for current issues and future challenges facing our society. The LMU Clusters of Excellence cover a broad range of fields, from systems neurology and nucleic acid research to questions of energy conversion, bioengineering, and the development of the universe, through to quantum science and cross-cultural philology.
With seven Clusters of Excellence approved for funding, LMU also fulfills the requirement for continued funding as a University of Excellence, the evaluation of which will take place later this year. LMU has been funded continuously since the launch of the German Excellence competitions in 2006.
Greater understanding between cultures: Moving beyond the Eurocentric perspective in philology
This Cluster of Excellence, which brings together various interdisciplinary research areas from seven LMU faculties, will work on innovative concepts for the future of the humanities. Adopting a cross-cultural approach, LMU researchers will examine philological practices and cultural dynamics over a period of around 5,000 years. In doing so, the cluster aims to move beyond the traditional Eurocentric perspective and thus contribute to a better understanding between cultures in today’s society. The researchers will analyse and compare philological traditions and practices in the Near and Middle East, in East Asia, in the Indian subcontinent, in North, East, and West Africa, and in Europe.
For more information, see: Cluster Cross-Cultural Philology
DNA and RNA research for future medical applications
NUCLEATE seeks to understand nucleic acids and advance their targeted use. The Cluster of Excellence is striving to become an engine of innovation in Germany and Europe by researching the functions and properties of DNA and RNA structures and expanding their huge potential for medical and technological applications. A joint Cluster between LMU, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the University of Würzburg (JMU), the project is highly interdisciplinary in its conception and brings together almost all areas of the natural sciences, from organic chemistry and biochemistry, to cell biology and microbiology, to medicine and veterinary medicine – supplemented by contributions from information technology and artificial intelligence. NUCLEATE combines outstanding basic research, state-of-the art technology, and application-oriented research. For translational further development, NUCLEATE will work hand in hand with the Cluster4Future CNATM, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, on topics like the development of RNA-based therapeutics.
For more information, see: Cluster for Nucleic Acid Sciences and Technologies
Rethinking biology: biomolecular components for innovative applications in medicine
BioSysteM, a joint cluster between LMU and TUM, has set itself the goal of developing a new type of biology: one that not only imitates biological systems, but that is designed from the ground up according to engineering principles. From molecules to cells and to complex organ-like structures, the researchers carry out interdisciplinary work on systems with programmable properties across all biological scales. To this end, they plan to use protein design and DNA nanotechnology to develop biomolecular components that can be integrated both into synthetic self-organizing systems and into living cells and “organoids.” The aim is to gain a better understanding of the fundamental principles of life while also opening paths to new applications – such as new materials, biomedical microrobots, and targeted therapeutics.
For more information, see: Cluster BioSysteM
A strong ecosystem for ground-breaking quantum research in Munich
The “Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology” (MCQST-2) Cluster of Excellence, a joint Cluster between LMU and TUM, focuses on exploring the science of complex quantum systems, thereby laying the foundation for the development of next-generation quantum technologies. In its second funding phase, the cluster will be structured into six research areas, ranging from fundamental research to applications. Here, quantum information theory plays an equally crucial role as quantum cryptography, the quantum simulation of solid-state systems, and the investigation and development of novel quantum materials, quantum sensors, and quantum networks. The vibrant ecosystem in Munich involves close collaboration between all partners, including the Munich Quantum Valley. As a cooperating institution, it will have a greater focus on the development of quantum computers both on the hardware and software level. In order to well equip the Munich community for the future, MCQST-2 will particularly support early-career researchers in a range of new programs, and a substantial share of the funding will be used to support them in the coming years.
For more information, see: Cluster MCQST
The big question about the beginning of everything
ORIGINS, a joint Cluster of Excellence between LMU and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), addresses the big questions surrounding the origin of life, investigating both the beginnings of the universe and the conditions under which the fundamental building blocks of life could emerge. In the coming years, the Cluster of Excellence plans to investigate, for example, which exoplanet atmospheres in distant galaxies provide the conditions for life as we know it. The following partners are also involved in ORIGINS: the Max Planck Institutes for Astrophysics, for Extraterrestrial Physics, for Physics, for Plasma Physics, and for Biochemistry, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), and the Deutsches Museum.
For more information, see: Cluster ORIGINS
Fighting diseases of the brain
Battling stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and inflammation of the brain: In the SyNergy Cluster of Excellence LMU and TUM are jointly researching neurological diseases. The Cluster has ambitious goals for the upcoming funding phase: deciphering disease mechanisms, establishing AI-supported data analytics techniques, and opening up new therapeutic avenues and translating them into clinical application. Furthermore, SyNergy intends to consolidate its international research and pave the way for the next generation of excellent experts.
For more information, see: Cluster SyNergy
Basic research for the energy transition
A joint Cluster of Excellence between LMU and TUM, e-conversion, which is entering its second funding period, researches fundamental questions relating to energy conversion in order to find innovative solutions for future applications. Among other things, the researchers are searching for new approaches to photovoltaics, catalysis, and batteries, with the aim of covering global energy needs in a more sustainable, efficient, and diversified manner in the future. The Cluster is an innovation platform that brings together a wide range of expertise in basic research, from nanoscience and quantum research, to semiconductor physics and materials science, to computational science and artificial intelligence.
For more information, see: Cluster e-conversion