Funding atlas demonstrates outstanding research strength at the University of Freiburg

The new funding atlas from the German Research Foundation (DFG) certifies that the University of Freiburg has a high level of performance in research. I total, researchers at the University of Freiburg have acquired 252 million euros in third-party funding from the DFG between 2017 and 2019. This puts the University of Freiburg in ninth place nationwide in the current funding atlas in terms of total approvals.

Acquisitions per professor

However, the total amount of third-party funding that a university acquires depends to a large extent on the number of its professorships and its range of subjects - for example, engineering disciplines achieve significantly higher funding amounts on average than humanities disciplines. The DFG took this into account in its evaluation: In relation to the number of its professorships and its range of subjects, the University of Freiburg received the third most funding of all higher education institutions in Germany.

Top positions in Emmy Noether and ERC grants

In the period from 2010 to 2019, the University of Freiburg was able to recruit the most junior research groups in the Emmy Noether Programme in Germany. “We are in a very good position,” says Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing, Vice-President for Research and Innovation. “The funding program, together with the University of Freiburg, which provides additional support for the research groups if they are successful, offers excellent researchers great framework structures during the qualification phase,” Rensing adds.

The University of Freiburg is also an attractive location for researchers who receive support from the European Research Council (ERC) for their projects. It ranks third among the universities where ERC-funded scientists carry out their research projects.

Differences among the departments: 1st place for university medicine

In the life sciences, the University of Freiburg ranks third in terms of both absolute total approvals and approvals per professor when adjusted by subject. Approvals in the area of university medicine are also very high: third place in the absolute figures and first place in which the staff are taken into consideration. “With almost 950,000 euros per full-time equivalent professor, the Faculty of Medicine is by far the leader in university medicine research on both the federal and state level,” says Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein, Rector of the University of Freiburg.

The departments of biology, forestry and engineering also ranked among the top ten in terms of third-party funding by the DFG.

DFG press release (in German)

DFG funding atlas (in German)

Contact:
Dr. Christian Jehle
Strategy and University Development
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-9658
christian.jehle@zuv.uni-freiburg.de

Dr. Frank Krüger
Freiburg Research Services
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-4859
Frank.Krueger@frs.uni-freiburg.de

Annette Kollefrath-Persch
Office of University and Science Communications
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-8909
annette.persch@pr.uni-freiburg.de