This decision by the Excellence Commission, consisting of international researchers and the federal and state science ministers, was announced late this afternoon in Bonn. Funding will start at the beginning of 2026. With this outstanding result, the University of Bonn is consolidating its role as a leading research university in the competition: it was the only university in Germany to be successful with six Clusters of Excellence back in 2018 and was awarded the status of a University of Excellence in 2019. Since then, it has continuously ranked among the strongest research universities in Europe and the world.
With ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy and the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM), two clusters of excellence in which the Department of Economics at the University of Bonn is involved, will be funded for a further seven years.
ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy
The Cluster of Excellence aims to advance the analysis of markets and public policy in the context of fundamental societal and technological challenges. To this end, ECONtribute brings together outstanding researchers in economics and related disciplines from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne as well as the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods. At the heart of the research is human thinking and acting, including notions of fairness, beliefs and expectations – crucial factors for better understanding markets and deriving well-founded recommendations for policy and market design. With continued funding, the approximately 150 researchers of the Cluster can carry on their work in the years ahead. “This decision marks an important step in furthering our successful collaboration and promoting the transfer of knowledge between academia, society, and politics,” says Thomas Dohmen, spokesperson of the Cluster in Bonn.
Spokespersons:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Dohmen, Professor of Applied Microeconomics, University of Bonn
Prof. Dr. Matthias Heinz, Professor for Strategy, University of Cologne
Prof. Dr. Pia Pinger, Professor for Design and Behavior, University of Cologne
Universities involved:
University of Bonn, University of Cologne
Institutions involved:
Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn
Website: https://econtribute.de/
Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM)
The Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM) was founded in 2006 as the first-ever Cluster of Excellence for mathematics in Germany. It has evolved into an internationally significant center for mathematical research and teaching and for academic dialogue. The HCM produces a host of world-renowned award winners every year. Its research interests range from pure and applied mathematics and questions of economics through to interdisciplinary projects involving colleagues from fields such as materials research and the life sciences.
Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Valentin Blomer, Mathematical Institute, University of Bonn
Institutions involved:
Max Planck Institute for Mathematics
