The Excellence Commission, made up of the Committee of Experts and the science ministers at federal and state level, announced earlier today that the University of Bonn has been awarded funding from the federal and state governments for a further seven years (2027–2033). With its eight Clusters of Excellence, the University of Bonn will thus retain its crown as the most successful University of Excellence in the contest as it enters the new funding period. The University will now take additional strategic steps to establish itself in the leading pack of the world’s best universities over the long term, says Rector Professor Michael Hoch.  

On March 2nd, the Bonn Graduate School of Economics hosted a Research Environment Info Session for all doctoral students in the coursework phase. 

The new social science research project SOZIAHR at the University of Bonn is investigating the medium- to long-term challenges posed by the 2021 flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, supported by TRA Individuals, Institutions, and Societies, and funded by the Mercator Foundation. Julia Mink and Hanna Schwank from the Department of Economics are involved in the project.

Starting immediately, students of the Department of Economics have the opportunity to study in Japan in the context of a new bilateral agreement with Hitotsubashi University.

The JOSUA software (Job Submission Application) will in the future be jointly developed and operated by the Department of Economics and the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy. This move secures the long-term operation of JOSUA as a powerful platform for secure, data-intensive research.

Tomáš Jagelka has been awarded the 2025 Exeter Prize for his paper “Are Economists’ Preferences Psychologists’ Personality Traits? A Structural Approach,” published in the March 2024 issue of the Journal of Political Economy.

Problem or opportunity? New research from EPoS Economic Research Center at the Universities of Bonn and Mannheim shows how low-skilled immigration may widen income gaps in Germany—but also how smart policies can turn migration into an economic win. Zainab Iftikhar explains the findings in this interview. Read the interview with Zainab Iftikhar here:

Blue-collar workers are more effective at representing the interests of employees in works councils than white-collar workers. This is shown by a study conducted by Thomas Dohmen’s team, spokesperson for the ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn, in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Princeton.