Promoted in the first programme phase of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments, the University of Göttingen is realizing its concept for the future entitled "Göttingen. Tradition - Innovation - Autonomy". The concept for promoting top-level university research embraces the projects Brain Gain, Brain Sustain, Lichtenberg-Kolleg and Göttingen International. In the course of the the first programme phase of the Excellence Initiative competition, the Göttingen Graduate School for Neuro- and Molecular Biosciences and the cluster of excellence „Microscopy at the Nanometer Range“ were also able to prevail.



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Promoting innovative ideas and varying career paths

The University submits its Institutional Strategy and further proposals for the second phase of the German Excellence Initiative programme – group of expert reviewers to visit Göttingen in December

The first stage of participation in the second phase of the German Excellence Initiative programme has now been accomplished. The University of Göttingen submitted its Institutional Strategy, as well as proposals for two Graduate Schools and a Cluster of Excellence, by the due date of 1st September, 2011, to the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Council of Science and Humanities (WR).

Promoting creativity and diversity: The University and its non-university partners at the Göttingen Research Campus continue to be committed to this goal. The Institutional Strategy submitted under the heading ‘Tradition – Innovation – Autonomy. Göttingen Spirit – Fostering Creativity in Research and Teaching’ contains instruments successfully implemented during the first programme phase; these have been supplemented by a series of new measures.





The Courant Research Centres and the Lichtenberg-Kolleg exemplify the Göttingen strategy for promoting innovative ideas and developing new research areas – Brain Gain. Within the framework of Brain Sustain, the aim is to retain top researchers in Göttingen and promote the career development of young academic talent. The special research infrastructures in Göttingen will be yet more intensively utilised in the future in order to ensure the attractiveness and long-term success of the University across all areas. Internationalisation, equal opportunities and the development of a university-wide diversity concept will be advanced as cross-functional themes in the future development of the University.

In funding line 1, the University has submitted a renewal proposal for the Göttingen Graduate School for Neuroscience, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB), as well as a full proposal for the Göttingen Academy for Young Researchers in the Humanities (GEWINA). In funding line 2, the University has put forward a renewal proposal for the Cluster of Excellence ‘Microscopy at the Nanometre Range and Molecular Physiology of the Brain’ (CNMPB).

An international group of expert reviewers visited Göttingen on 20th and 21st December, 2011. The review of GEWINA (1st December, 2011), the Cluster of Excellence (10th and 11th January, 2012) and the GGNB (16th January, 2012) took place in Berlin. Decisions with regard to future funding will be announced on 15th June, 2012, by the DFG and the WR.