[What is the excellence initiative?]
[What are the goals of the excellence initiative?]
[What is the time schedule for the current excellence initiative?]
[What are the „first“ and „second phases of the excellence initiative“?]
[How much money is involved?]
[Which universities submited applications in the current round of the excellence initiative?]
[Why did TU Dresden again submit applications under the excellence initiative offered by the federal and Länder governments?]
[Who decided which of the submitted projects are funded?]
[What were the criteria for making this decision?]
[What are the benefits of being successful in this application process for TU Dresden members? professors, staff, students?]
[What does the award ‘elite university’ mean?]
[Which role does DRESDEN-concept play in the application process of TU Dresden?]
[Why do the non-university research institutions commit themselves within DRESDEN-concept for TU Dresden’ application under the excellence initiative?]
[Does DRESDEN-concept have in mind a merger of university and extra-mural institutes?]
[How will TU Dresden score points?]
[How do students benefit from the excellence initiative?]

     What is the excellence initiative?
The excellence initiative is a federal competition to promote research at German universities and it is commonly held by the federal government and the Länder. „[It] aims at promoting cutting-edge research and at further improving and thus lastingly strengthening Germany’s worldwide reputation as a leading player in academic training and research, at improving Germany’s international competitiveness and to make the vanguards in the German higher education and research landscape visible.“
For this purpose three funding lines were initiated. Universities are invited to apply for funding  „graduate schools that promote junior researchers“ (for the training of doctoral students), for "excellence clusters to promote top-level research" (in which scientists cooperate in one research area) and for „institutional strategies on the project-based advancement of top-level research“ at universities.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council (WR) coordinate the programme.

     What are the goals of the excellence initiative?
Back 2005 the excellence initiative was initiated by the federal government and the Länder to promote cutting-edge research at German universities.
The excellence initiative

• supports top-level research at universities and improves its worldwide visibility
• provides outstanding conditions for junior researchers at universities
• deepens cooperation among disciplines and institutions
• strengthens the international networking of research activities
• promotes equal rights for men and women in science
• intensifies the scientific competition in Germany and strengthens Germany’s broad reputation as a leading player in the science community.

     What is the time schedule for the current excellence initiative?

• 12. March 2010: call for applications in the second programme phase and call for submission of draft proposals for new applications to the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 30. April 2010: arrival of intention declarations for new applications
• 1. September 2010: arrival of draft proposals for new applications
• 2. March 2011: call for applications for first and renewal applications
• 1. September 2011: arrival of new and renewal applications
• 15. June 2012: decisions on funding 2012-2017
• November 2012: beginning of the funding period for new and renewal applications

     What are the „first“ and „second phases of the excellence initiative“?
In the first phase from 2006 to 2011, the DFG received a total of an additional 1.9 billion Euros for three funding lines (graduate schools, excellence clusters and institutional strategies).
Late in May 2009 the federal and state governments made a decision to continue the excellence initiative beyond the year 2012 for another five years with a total funding of  2.7 billion Euros. This is the current round in the excellence initiative in which TU Dresden is ready to score. The call for applications was announced on 12 March 2010.

     How much money is involved?
A total of 2.724 billion Euros are made available for this second phase of the excellence initiative.
Clear figures: For a period of five years, a graduate school receives between 1 and 2.5 mio. € and an excellence clusters between 3 and 8 mio. € per year. Universities whose institutional strategy is granted funding receive an average of 21 mio. € per year.

     Which universities submited applications in the current round of the excellence initiative?
By 1 September 2010, German universities were invited to submit draft proposals for the excellence initiative. 65 universities responded to the call for applications in this round. They submitted a total of 98 preliminary applications for graduate schools, 107 applications for excellence clusters and 22 applications for institutional strategies. Applications for the third funding line, which comprises the overall development of a university, were submitted by the previous elite universities and now also by the universities in Berlin (Humboldt and TU), Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Bremen, Darmstadt, Dresden, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Frankfurt, Gießen, Hamburg, Jena, Kiel, Köln, Leipzig, Mainz, Münster, Saarbrücken, Stuttgart, Tübingen and Würzburg.

     Why did TU Dresden again submit applications under the excellence initiative offered by the federal and Länder governments?
TU Dresden is finding itself competing for students, the best brains in research, training and infrastructure, for financial means and for top cooperation partners – a competition which is becoming more and more international. This situation will manifest itself over the coming years. In this competition, the universities of excellence will have huge benefits because they have a great power of attraction in every respect. TU Dresden sees its future as a university of excellence which creates added value on the basis of its own competence and diversity and also on the grounds of the diversified scientific and cultural environment for the Dresden region and also for the Free State of Saxony as a whole.

     Who decided which of the submitted projects are funded?
On 2 March 2011, universities, which have been chosen in a scientific review process,  were invited to rework their draft proposals into full applications. In the summer of 2012, a common board of representatives of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council (WR) of the federal government assed the applications. The common board gave recommendations to the appropriation committee which was made up of the members of the board and the federal and state ministers for scientific affairs. The appropriation committee decided on which universities with which projects and institutions is promoted with an average total of  2.7 billion Euros by the end of 2017. Funding is made available by the federal government (75 per cent) and the state governments (25 per cent).

     What were the criteria for making this decision?
Applications were evaluated by the DFG (graduate schools and clusters of excellence) and the Science Council (WR) (institutional strategies) on the basis of the criteria listed below:

• scientific quality
• interdisciplinary approach
• international visibility
• joining regional research capacities

     What are the benefits of being successful in this application process for TU Dresden members? professors, staff, students?
The general conditions they can work in are much better and so are the starting positions for their personal development. Better conditions for research, teaching, studies, graduate promotion, but also progress in further education, the culture of cooperation, in internal processes, equal rights, family-friendly policies. The excellence initiative does not only promote top-level research and the best junior researchers, it also raises the overall level of a university’s quality. That is also the reason why we are going to score in all three funding lines – graduate schools, excellence clusters and institutional strategies.

     What does the award ‘elite university’ mean?
The excellence initiative promotes excellence clusters and research training groups in many universities thus supporting the broad development of excellence in certain key areas. In addition, only few universities are eligible for the title elite university because they could convince the assessors of their institutional strategy. As a result, they were granted additional funding in the million range.

     Which role does DRESDEN-concept play in the application process of TU Dresden?
It plays a rather important role. It is because the DRESDEN concept is solely possible here in Dresden and because it is a unique proposition. This research partnership is supported by 14 members: TU Dresden, the Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leibniz and Max Planck Institutes and also by renowned museums and libraries. This is unique in Germany. Dresden is an attractive and strong destination for researchers is great. We are not talking about mere coexistence, but real cooperation.

     Why do the non-university research institutions commit themselves within DRESDEN-concept for TU Dresden’ application under the excellence initiative?
Good attracts good. A quality university with the hallmark of the excellence initiative is of utmost importance for Dresden and the region as whole. A top university like TU Dresden with its diversity in research and teaching attracts talented professionals at all levels. Well-trained professionals will graduate from the university, from which other research institutes and the industry will benefit. The plan to join forces in a common technology platform is as interesting as the close networking in teaching processes. DRESDEN-concept bundles the existing competence to the benefit of all.

     Does DRESDEN-concept have in mind a merger of university and extra-mural institutes?
No, DRESDEN-concept aims at an alliance rather than merger. Each of the partners is strong on its own and undergoes development. All partners contribute their strengths to the team of institutions.

     How will TU Dresden score points? Were there any model universities in the first phase?
Actually there are no model universities in the classical sense of the word, since every university is unique and has to tread its own path. Creativity springs from many sources, it then brings forth something new and independent. If one observes the development of TU Dresden over the past 20 years, it will turn out that there is hardly any university in Germany that underwent a similar dynamic development process. The individual issues of the application rely on this development, they connect them within the university and with the extramural partners in DRESDEN-concept.

     How do students benefit from the excellence initiative?
The excellence initiative aims to strengthen research. Research-strong universities are appealing to students in several respects: The latest results of top-level research will find their way into lectures, there are many opportunities to come in touch with research very early in one’s career, and a university of excellence also attracts excellent researchers and university lecturers, which is another plus for teaching. Moreover, graduating from a university of excellence is surely something which can add to your CV and will boost your chances.