Visionary ideas, strong voices, and an inspiring venue – the first-ever Falling Walls Lab at the University of Münster was a resounding success. At its core: bold, forward-looking projects by early career researchers aiming to answer one big question in just three minutes: “Which are the next walls to fall?”
 

The EU Mentoring Network offers structured, high-level support for outstanding researchers at career stages R2 and R3 who are planning to apply for ERC Starting or Consolidator Grants in 2026. 
 

Which are the next walls to fall? Under this motto, the University of Münster will host its very first Falling Walls Lab on 11 September 2025 – an international pitch competition for students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers with visionary ideas. At the FIEGE X-Dock in the heart of Münster, young scientists and innovators will have just three minutes to present their projects to a panel of experts and an interested public audience.

How do structural power dynamics shape everyday life at universities – and what role does “whiteness” play as a system of privilege? These questions are at the heart of the first Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) hosted by the University of Münster as part of the European University Alliance Ulysseus. Titled "Critical Whiteness: Reflecting on Power and Taking Action in the University Context," the programme invites participants to engage with anti-racist perspectives through a combination of theoretical input and practical training.

The Rectorate of the University of Münster has approved the joint research initiative “Animal Personality Meets Personality Psychology” for funding within the University’s strategic Topical Programmes line. The project is led by Prof. Dr. Mitja Back (Faculty of Psychology, FB 07) and Prof. Dr. Melanie Dammhahn (Faculty of Biology, FB 13).

The project aims to establish a novel interdisciplinary research bridge between animal personality research and psychological personality science. Although both fields have developed in parallel—conceptually and methodologically—there has been little systematic exchange between them. This initiative addresses precisely that gap, creating a research forum that fosters dialogue between biology, psychology, and related disciplines. 

With today’s fourth and final session, the University of Münster has successfully concluded its SWOT workshop series as part of its Excellence Strategy process. Over the course of several months, representatives from the Rectorate, central administration, research community, and the University’s Research Advisory Board – in part supported by external expert perspectives – worked together in a structured, data-informed, and participatory process to identify and analyse the University’s key Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. 
 

As of April 2025, the EU Mentoring Network at the University of Münster has been relocated to the Zukunftslabor. Originally launched in 2023 at the Europa Center, the program has since successfully supported two cohorts of outstanding mentees. With the move, the network returns to its conceptual roots, as it was initially developed at the Zukunftslabor. | 
 

Sustainability ranks among the most pressing challenges of our time – scientifically, socially, and politically. Through its Emerging Field “Exploring and Shaping Sustainability”, the University of Münster brings together interdisciplinary expertise to collaboratively develop sustainable solutions. 
 

In the second episode of the podcast “Nachgefragt – Neues aus dem Rektorat” (“In Conversation – News from the Rectorate”), Rector Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels and Vice-Rector for Research Prof. Dr. Monika Stoll discuss the University of Münster’s approach to Germany’s Excellence Strategy.

In conversation with host Lena Zils, they provide insights into the current state of strategic developments and explain how the University is positioning itself in the competition for Clusters of Excellence. A special focus is placed on perspectives for outstanding early-career researchers – both within existing support structures and in light of new initiatives on the horizon.

The episode is available via the University of Münster intranet:
Listen to the podcast 
 

On February 6 and 7, 2025, the two Clusters of Excellence at the University of Münster – Mathematics Münster and Religion and Politics – reached another key milestone in the ongoing Excellence Strategy: the evaluation meetings in Bonn as part of the Clusters of Excellence funding line. 

 

The Rectorate of the University of Münster has approved the joint research initiative “Anchoring International Replication Research through an Interdisciplinary Publishing Platform” for funding under the University’s strategic Topical Programmes line. The project is led by Dr. Lukas Röseler from the Münster Center for Open Science (MüCOS).
 

From 28 to 30 October 2024, the Ulysseus Days took place in Münster under the title ‘Navigating Pathways to a Sustainable Future’. On October 28 and 29, the Münster Innovation Hub officially launched within the Ulysseus University Alliance with the event “Explore and Connect: Meet the Innovation Hub of Socio-Ecological Sustainability.” Additionally, the Research & Innovation (R&I) conference “Sustainable Innovations” was held on October 30, focusing on promoting sustainable ideas and solutions. 

With the launch of a multi-part workshop series focused on strategic self-reflection, the University of Münster has initiated a key element in its journey toward becoming a University of Excellence. The goal: a comprehensive SWOT analysis – assessing institutional Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats – to support evidence-based, participatory strategy development. 
 

Just in time for the critical phase of the Excellence Strategy, the University of Münster’s two Clusters of Excellence – Mathematics Münster and Religion and Politics – have released new image videos that vividly highlight what defines cutting-edge international research at our institution. Each video offers unique insights into current research topics, academic profiles, and dedicated support for early-career researchers – definitely worth a watch! 
 

With the timely submission of their renewal proposals to the German Research Foundation (DFG), the University of Münster’s two Clusters of Excellence – Mathematics Münster and Religion and Politics – have reached a major milestone in Germany’s ongoing Excellence Strategy. 
 

A major success for educational sciences and subject didactics at the University of Münster: the University has been accepted as a full member of the renowned Leibniz Education Research Network (LERN). This interdisciplinary network currently brings together 27 leading institutions to explore how educational potentials can be better identified, fostered, and utilized at the individual, institutional, and societal levels. | Read on
 

With its strategic funding line “Ideas Lab” (Ideenlabor), the University of Münster supports bold, creative projects in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer. A unique feature of this program is its two-step selection process: After a content-based review, funding is allocated by lottery among the positively evaluated proposals. This approach aims to reduce unconscious bias and give unconventional, high-risk ideas a fair chance to thrive. 
 

With the aim of strengthening collaboration and visibility across computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, and digital humanities, the University of Münster hosted a university-wide kick-off workshop today. 
 

Taking up impulses from the ranks of academics, the Rectorate has set out to take a critical look at the University of Münster's research profile and areas of potential and to embark on a comprehensive and consistently participatory process of sharpening its profile. 

On 21 October 2022, the Rectorate invited all interested members of the WWW to the ‘WWU Forum Research Profiles’ to inform and discuss structure-building cutting-edge research at the University of Münster. The forum, organised by the Future Lab, offered emerging large-scale research networks the opportunity to introduce themselves to the university public. Existing large-scale collaborations were able to present themselves with a poster at the Excellence Research Fair and engage in dialogue and exchange with interested parties in a relaxed atmosphere. Representatives of the two Clusters of Excellence ‘Religion and Politics’ and ‘Mathematics Münster’ also reported on their experiences as structure-forming research networks at the WWU.

 

As part of the development of bibliometric competences at the WWU, SciVal was initially licensed for a test period of two years.

SciVal provides access to the publication history of more than 20,000 research institutions and 230 nations worldwide. Based on the Scopus publication database, a high level of coverage is achieved in the natural and life sciences; however, there are considerable gaps in the humanities and social sciences and with regard to German-language publications.