Excellence Commission votes in favor of PRISMA++ / Funding of up to EUR 50 million for top-level research in Mainz
22 May 2025
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has been successful in the second round of competition in the Excellence Strategy program of the German federal and state governments. The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) have announced that the Excellence Commission, made up of researchers from the international Committee of Experts and the federal and state ministers of science and research, selected the Mainz-based Cluster of Excellence on "Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions and Structure of Matter" (PRISMA++) for further funding. The overall funding volume for PRISMA++ will amount to a maximum of EUR 50 million over the next seven years.
"We are delighted that we have managed to prevail in the face of exceptionally outstanding competitors throughout Germany and that our proposal for the PRISMA++ Cluster of Excellence convinced the Excellence Commission. This success impressively demonstrates the international pole position assumed by our particle and hadron physics research," stated JGU President Professor Georg Krausch. "On behalf of the Executive University Board, I would like to warmly thank all our researchers and administrative staff who were involved in preparing the proposal for PRISMA++. They invested considerable dedication and effort in the process. Furthermore, I congratulate our partners in the Rhine-Main Universities strategic alliance, the universities in Darmstadt and Frankfurt, who were also successful with applications for Clusters of Excellence. Our main priority is now to apply together for support through the Universities of Excellence funding line and thus help promote the diversity and remarkable nature of research here in the Rhine-Main region."
Clemens Hoch, Minister for Science and Health of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, added: "Over recent years, JGU researchers have managed remarkable achievements thanks to their creativity and joint initiatives. They have developed ingenious visionary concepts for coming years and have now received the deserved reward for this. The funding of PRISMA++ until 2032 as one of Germany's Clusters of Excellence represents a major success – for the researchers involved, for Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and for cutting-edge research in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a decisive milestone on the route towards a future in which the Rhine-Main Universities will compete in the Universities of Excellence funding line. I should like to congratulate everyone who contributed their abilities and commitment to this success. In addition, I would also like to encourage all of them to dedicate themselves to becoming actively involved in shaping the further course that the Rhine-Main Universities will be taking. As has already been the case, the State of Rhineland-Palatinate will continue to provide support to their ideas to the best of its abilities. Last but not least, I would like to combine my congratulations with a heartfelt thank you."
According to the German Research Foundation and the German Science and Humanities Council, a total of 98 funding proposals for Clusters of Excellence were submitted by 47 German universities of which 70 were approved, among them the PRISMA++ Cluster of Excellence at JGU. As a result, JGU is one of the 43 universities that have been successful in the second round of the Excellence Strategy, the joint initiative of the German federal and state governments to further strengthen top-level research at universities in Germany.
The Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions and Structure of Matter (PRISMA++) Cluster of Excellence
PRISMA++ will be the follow-up project of the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence. The proposal for the renewal was put forward jointly by JGU's Institute of Physics and Institute of Nuclear Physics, together with the Helmholtz Institute Mainz. The purpose of this cluster is to explore the existence of new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. There are three main factors that boost Mainz-based research into the limitations of the Standard Model, i.e., the extent of synergy between theory and experiment, the availability of state-of-the-art facilities on the JGU campus, and the researchers' eager involvement in wide-ranging international collaboration. Among the core features of PRISMA++ is the construction and operation of the particle accelerator MESA (Mainz Energy-recovering Superconducting Accelerator) that will enable the results of high-precision experiments to be compared with the predictions of theoretical physics. In the new funding period, the cluster is proposing to investigate aspects of physics at high and low energies with the intention of identifying new particles and phenomena. In addition, the researchers will intensify the study of neutrino properties. PRISMA++ will continue to receive significant support through the research program of the Mainz Institute of Theoretical Physics (MITP) and the development of hardware by the PRISMA Detector Lab. The Mainz Physics Academy will furthermore remain the umbrella body for all activities relating to the training and advancement of early career researchers. The spokespersons of PRISMA++ are Professor Concettina Sfienti of the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Professor Alfons Weber of the Institute of Physics at JGU.
The Rhine-Main Universities (RMU)
Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Technical University of Darmstadt make up the RHINE-MAIN UNIVERSITIES (RMU). The universities have a combined total of more than 95,000 students and 1,500 professors and cooperate closely in research, studying and teaching. These renowned research universities are shaping the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main region as an internationally visible academic hub.
The Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments
To further strengthen the international competitiveness of research at German universities, the federal and state governments have established the Excellence Strategy (ExStra) as a permanent funding program. The annual budget for selected Clusters of Excellence and Universities of Excellence is currently EUR 533 million, with the overall budget having been increased to EUR 687 million per year from 2026 onwards. The key objective of Germany's Excellence Strategy is to strengthen top-level research in areas that are internationally competitive, to institutionally strengthen German universities, and to advance the development of the German higher education system. To do so, the Excellence Strategy comprises two separate but intertwined funding lines: The Cluster of Excellence (EXC) funding line provides project-based funding for internationally competitive research areas at German universities, while the Universities of Excellence (EXU) funding line is designed to strengthen institutional strategies of universities and university consortia to enable them to expand their leading international position in research, in accordance with Article 91b of the German Constitution.