News — University of Bonn

Bonn Most Successful University in Excellence Strategy

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.

When the map needs an update

Every time we move through a familiar environment, the hippocampus consults an internal map, a detailed spatial representation that is built up through repeated experience. But what happens when something unexpected occurs on a well-known route? Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn were able to demonstrate in a mouse model that the brain does not redraw its maps from scratch. Instead, it annotates them: preserving the underlying spatial layout while overlaying new information on top of the existing map. Their findings have now been published in the journal PNAS.

University of Bonn Students Triumph with Autonomous Racecar

Das studentische KI- und Robotikprojekt der Universität Bonn LamarRacing hat bei der RoboRacer Competition im Rahmen der IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2026 in Wien eine Auszeichnung gewonnen. Im Zeitfahrwettbewerb erzielte das Bonner Team LamarRacing die beste Leistung des gesamten Teilnehmerfelds und gewann mit deutlichem Vorsprung die Time-Trial-Wertung. Für diese Leistung erhielt das Team die Auszeichnung „Best Performance Overall“. Im anschließenden 1-gegen-1-Rennformat erreichte LamarRacing den vierten Platz.

Goosebump Moments in Archaeological Research

How did people live centuries ago? How did they see themselves? How were they perceived by others? Today, archaeology uses modern methods to examine skeletons, personal belongings, burial practices, material culture and social and spatial relationships. The book “Human Identities in the Archaeological Record: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Late Antiquity to the Modern Period” shows how past identities can be reconstructed from this evidence.

Mothers in Western Germany Work Less than Those in the East

West German mothers work about two months less per year compared to mothers in the east. According to new economic research, the gap in working hours has not changed more than three decades after reunification. This is not only important in light of demographic change and the shortage of skilled labor, but also for policies helping mothers to better combine career and family life, such as parental leave and childcare services.

Hands-On Excellence at NRW-Fest in Berlin

The summer festival organized by the office representing the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) at federal government level is one of the highlights of Berlin’s social calendar. When representatives from the worlds of politics, business, media and culture come together for NRW-Fest, you can guarantee that a host of leading figures in state-level policymaking will be out and about. Plus this year was the first in which the University of Bonn ran its own booth.

Andreas Pinkwart Appointed Senior Professor for Strategic Entrepreneurship at the University of Bonn

Professor Andreas Pinkwart is to take on a new Senior Professorship for Strategic Entrepreneurship at the University of Bonn with effect from October 1, 2026, a role that will see him support the Rectorate with the continued development of its strategic transfer concept. The University of Excellence is thus gaining the services of one of the most distinguished individuals straddling the boundaries between research, innovation, entrepreneurship and politics.