Researchers make final round University of Bonn with excellent prospects
Bonn · Seven preliminary applications from the University of Bonn have made it to the final round of the nationwide Excellence Initiative. The achievement is quite significant as it could translate into special funding from the government and more jobs.
The University of Bonn may be facing a qualitative leap into a new league. If things go well for the university, Bonn could become the third location of a “University of Excellence” in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2019, next to Cologne and Aachen. This would not only bring considerable recognition, but also federal funding of at least 126 million euros and thus hundreds of new jobs in the city.
And the signs are looking good. In the fourth round of the Excellence Initiative, the predominantly international jury selected 88 out of 195 applications and seven of them were from Bonn. The so-called “cluster ideas” in the applications come from groups of university researchers. Two of the seven from Bonn were created in cooperation with the University of Cologne and RWTH Aachen University.
“When you look at the fact that 45 to 50 of the 88 applications still under consideration will receive funding, then we have more than a fair chance,” said University of Bonn Rector Michael Hoch.
ImmunoSensation is one of the cluster projects currently being funded and it shows what the extra funding can achieve. It’s an important player in studies concerning the human immune system and its functioning. Hoch says that around 100 scientists were involved in this project until 2012, and today there are around 450 top researchers and junior staff networked in the cluster. He said it was not only a draw for top scientists but it also attracted many very good students.
The Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM) and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics have also developed cutting-edge mathematical research in Europe in the last decade. HCM Director Karl-Theodor Sturm said they are creating conditions to keep top researchers and bring in top employees from abroad. Bonn is now competing in this field with Paris, New York and Beijing for the best of the best.
Applications for the next round of the Excellence Initiative are due on February 21 and the winners will be announced in September. University rector Hoch emphasizes that the success of individual clusters brings the entire university forward. In addition to a basic eight million euro of funding for a winning cluster, there is an extra one million euros for second, 750,000 euros for third and 500,000 euros for fourth place. And it goes on for seven years, plus an extra seven years if the project receives a successful evaluation.
(Orig. text: Martin Wein. Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
