No new funding phase for the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”

University of Münster unsuccessful in competition for “University of Excellence” title – Interdisciplinary research on religion to remain a strong feature of the University

On Thursday, 22 May 2025, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced the results of the first funding round of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments: the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will not receive further funding. “In recent years, the Cluster of Excellence ‘Religion and Politics’ has produced internationally acclaimed research that has contributed much to our understanding of complex social relationships. It is regrettable that no further funding will be provided”, said Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels. Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Dr. Monika Stoll, added: “However, this is not the end of the Cluster’s successful work. We are determined to continue our work in this field. The findings and progress made to date will feed into our continuing research activities”.

Cluster speaker Prof. Dr. Michael Seewald says: “We are a Cluster of Excellence that has existed since the first funding phase of the Excellence Initiative, and thus longer than most other Clusters of Excellence. I very much regret that we will not be able to enter a fourth funding period. Nevertheless, interdisciplinary research on religion will remain a strong feature of the University of Münster”. The past 18 years have seen studies conducted at the University of Münster permanently shape international research on religion. “We will use the planned Campus for Theology and Religious Studies to pursue our work in new formats and with fresh ideas”.

Bringing together Protestant, Catholic and Islamic theology as well as religious studies in one building, and housing one of the largest research libraries on religion in the world, the new Campus for Theology and Religious Studies is scheduled to open in 2026. The Cluster of Excellence will continue its work until 2027. Clusters that are not continued will receive degressive phase-out funding for two years. – The “Mathematics Münster” Cluster of Excellence will receive funding for another seven years starting on 1 January 2026. The University of Münster is therefore not eligible to apply for the second “University of Excellence” funding line, since this requires at least two Clusters of Excellence. A total of 70 Clusters of Excellence at 43 universities will receive funding.

Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”

Since its founding in 2007, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” has made the University of Münster an international hub for research on the changing relationship between religion and politics across epochs, cultures and world regions. Around 112 million euros have been invested in the work since then. More than 25 disciplines in the humanities, law and social sciences have been involved. In order to secure the future of research on religion in all its breadth and diversity, the University of Münster will develop “Religion and Society” as a Profile Area.

The Cluster of Excellence has also given rise to many permanent institutions at the University of Münster, including the Centre for Religion and Modernity, the Institute for Jewish Studies, the Centre for Islamic Theology, and the Service Centre for Digital Humanities. They will continue their specialist research on religion and politics, and the focus on research communication, for example with the training programme “Journalism on Religion”, while promoting the creation of new networks. Further evidence of the Cluster’s successful work can be seen in projects that have emerged from it, such as “Asking the Pope for Help”, the “Edition of the Complete Works of Ibn Nubātah al-Miṣrī” (DFG), and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Legal Unity and Pluralism”. (upm/exc)

 

The Excellence Strategy

With the Excellence Strategy, the federal and state governments aim to strengthen Germany’s position as a centre of science and further improve its international competitiveness. There are two funding lines.

The Cluster of Excellence funding line strengthens outstanding fields of research at universities or university networks. As large and efficient centres, they have national and international networks, and collaborate with various partners. The Clusters receive funding of three to ten million euros per year over a period of seven years. 57 Clusters of Excellence are currently receiving funding, and the new funding period begins on 1 January 2026.

The Universities of Excellence funding line serves to strengthen universities as individual institutions or university networks, and to consolidate their high status in international research. To be eligible for this funding line, universities must have at least two Clusters of Excellence. Ten universities and one university network are currently receiving funding. They must demonstrate every seven years that they still meet the funding requirements. The decision on funding will be made in 2026, with funding beginning on 1 January 2027.