Research and Teaching at the University of Bonn

The University of Bonn is one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany with eight Clusters of Excellence - more than any other university in Germany. Our seven faculties cover a broad range of disciplines. These strong disciplines are supplemented by six cross-faculty, interdisciplinary “Transdisciplinary Research Areas” (TRAs) that create spaces for exploration and innovation where key scientific, technological and social challenges are addressed.

Transdisciplinary Research Profile

The research profile of our University of Excellence is based on our six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs), and is further strengthened by six Clusters of Excellence, countless collaborative projects and outstanding researchers.

TRAs and Research Profile

Frau Professor Margherita Disertori vom Hausdorf Center for Mathematics hält eine Mathematikvorlesung vor Studierenden.

Teaching Profile

We aim to create a passion for science in young people and help them develop their individual professional and personal skills as best possible. The overall orientation of study and teaching at the University is based on ten principles.

Study and Teaching Principles

Researchers and Teachers

The University provides a range of services to help increase the time available for research and teaching. These range from providing advice on submitting applications and handling third-party funded projects, all the way to consulting on teaching methods. Learn about our Welcome Center and funding lines for international exchange, among other things.

Services Offered

Early-Career Researchers

We want to give talented early-career researchers the opportunity to perform independent research and help them achieve their goals both within and outside academia. The Argelander Program provides orientation, cross-disciplinary training and funding for emerging leaders.

The Argelander Program

Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Through knowledge transfer, we ensure that our research reaches and benefits various sectors, while our technology transfer efforts help move innovative ideas into practical use. Our outreach programs further extend these contributions, engaging with the community to share insights and drive positive change.

Transfer

Quality Assurance

Academic integrity and high quality teaching are our top priorities. Learn about our quality assurance measures, Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice and your contact persons.

Quality Research and Teaching

Latest Research and Teaching News

Less Fertilizer Through Smart Alliances

Over the course of evolution, plants have developed an elegant strategy to counteract a lack of phosphate in the soil — they form symbiotic relationships with soil fungi. These mycorrhizal fungi efficiently supply their plant partners with phosphate and other essential minerals. Recently, scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle, in collaboration with partners at the University of Bonn, discovered a molecular switch that detects the plant's phosphate content and signals whether to initiate or inhibit the symbiosis. This signaling pathway could enable plants to form partnerships with soil fungi even when sufficient phosphate is available. The study, published in the renowned journal Science Advances, offers a potential solution to a long-standing agricultural problem and opens new avenues for reducing fertilizer use.

ELLIS Approves New AI Unit in NRW

North Rhine-Westphalia will become home to a new unit within the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), one of Europe’s leading networks for artificial intelligence research. The newly approved ELLIS Unit NRW brings together leading AI researchers and large-scale computing infrastructure across the region to advance open-source foundation models, trustworthy machine learning and AI applications for real-world environments.

Smart Monitoring for People with Epilepsy

The PearNet project is developing special wearables—body-worn electronic devices—that give epilepsy patients advance warning of seizures and monitor and record them when they happen. The brainchild of researchers from the University Hospital Bonn and University of Bonn, it has now secured some €2.7 million in funding over three years via the GO-Bio next program run by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The money will go toward making further preparations for spinning off the project so that its set of wearables can be launched on the biotechnology market.

Depression dampens anticipation, not enjoyment

The loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities, which is experienced in everyday life and can be very distressing, is a core symptom of major depression. However, it has remained unclear exactly how anhedonia, also known as a pleasure deficit, manifests itself. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the University Hospital Tübingen have found that people with depression do not perceive food as less rewarding when they actually consume it. The differences compared to people without depression emerge during anticipation: how much they want something before they receive it. This reduced desire is also linked to the clinical severity of anhedonia. The study’s findings have now been published in the journal “Cell Reports Medicine.”

Clusters of Excellence

200+

Degree Programs

699

Professors

Our Research Profile

The research profile of our University of Excellence is defined by six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs), each of which has at least one Cluster of Excellence at its core. The TRAs focus our research on key future scientific, technological and social issues. Outstanding researchers, strong disciplines and a cooperative research culture have always formed the basis of our research profile.

Transdisciplinary Research Areas

The six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) at the University of Bonn create spaces for innovation in research and teaching.

Excellence Strategy

“We invest in people. We foster networks. We create impact.” Our strategy for excellence in research and teaching.

Find out more

Clusters of Excellence

The University of Bonn has six Clusters of Excellence — eight as of January 2026 — more than any other university in Germany.

Our Clusters

Support of Early-Career Researchers

We offer many support services for doctoral students and postdocs to promote early independent research.

Argelander Program

Research Networks

Innovative top-level research in many national and international partnerships and collaborative projects sets us apart.

Collaborative Research

Outstanding Researchers

The outstanding research performed by our researchers is shown by the many awards that have been received.

Awards and Prizes