The German Excellence Initiative comprised three funding programs to boost the international appeal of German universities.  First, this initiative funds the development of exemplary graduate schools—graduate schools that produce exemplary research and help young scientists flourish.

 

Second, this initiative funds outstanding research networks of scientists, in a particular region, exploring a research topic of global interest and developing young scientists—called clusters of excellence.  A panel of 39 scientists, science ministers, and other specialists evaluate applications. Clusters receive up to 10 million Euro annually, derived from both federal and state budgets.

 

Third, this initiative funds over ten outstanding universities, called universities of excellence. To be successful, universities need to submit a detailed profile, a financial plan, and an outline of strengths and limitations.  The Council of Science and Humanities determines which applications are successful.  About half the applications were successful.  These universities receive, on average, almost 40 million Euro.

 

Interestingly, this initiative actually increased the number of patents approved in German universities generally—but not specifically in the universities of excellence (Lehmann & Stockinger, 2019).  Presumably, this initiative is a signal to society about the importance of research and may have also facilitated the development of infrastructure or practices that benefit all research institutions.

 

Further reading

Lehmann, E. E., & Stockinger, S. A. (2019). Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: The impact of competition‐based policy programmes exemplified by the German Excellence Initiative. Higher Education Quarterly, 73(1), 70-84.