Four Hamburg Clusters of Excellence with DESY involvement

As part of Germany’s Excellence Strategy, Universität Hamburg has been awarded four Clusters of Excellence, while Hamburg University of Technology has received one. This was announced today by the German Research Foundation (DFG) at a press conference. The research centre DESY is involved in four of these Hamburg-based Clusters of Excellence, which will receive funding from 2026 onwards; other non-university research institutions also play a significant role in these clusters.

Prof. Beate Heinemann, Chair of the DESY Directorate, congratulates: “I warmly congratulate Universität Hamburg and Hamburg University of Technology on being awarded the Clusters of Excellence. This decision is important for the entire metropolitan region, as top-level science is essential for the economy and society today. DESY is involved in four of Hamburg’s Clusters of Excellence. This reflects the key role that DESY plays in advancing excellent research – thanks to its outstanding scientists and its major, high-performance research facilities.”

With today’s decision by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the international panel of experts appointed by the Joint Science Conference (GWK) of the federal and state governments in Bonn, highly promising research fields in Hamburg will be strengthened. The Clusters of Excellence, each of which will receive up to ten million euros per year from 2026, focus on topics such as the function of atoms and molecules in materials, the development of sustainable materials that acquire entirely new properties through interaction with water, ancient texts across cultures, and unresolved questions of the universe. Irreplaceable tools for many of these scientific endeavours include research infrastructures such as the high-brilliance X-ray sources PETRA III and FLASH.

“Our particle accelerators are super microscopes. They allow a unique view into the microcosm, which is valuable for a vast range of research disciplines,” says Heinemann. “With our future project PETRA IV, we are planning the ultimate 4D X-ray source that will catapult Hamburg and Germany to the global forefront of X-ray science.”

With PETRA IV, DESY is planning a unique research infrastructure: the accelerator-based X-ray light source will offer unparalleled analytical capabilities worldwide, capturing the structure, energetics and function of molecular units in materials and cells under realistic conditions. PETRA IV is currently taking part in the “National Prioritisation Process for Large-Scale Research Infrastructures” initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The results of this process are expected in mid-July.

The Hamburg Clusters of Excellence with DESY involvement:

CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter
Functionality lies at the heart of the Cluster of Excellence “CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter.” Atoms bond to form solids, molecules interact and react – and with increasing complexity and size of a system, new functionalities emerge. To observe, understand and control these processes, 185 researchers from physics, chemistry and structural biology have joined forces. Researchers from Universität Hamburg collaborate with teams from DESY, the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, and European XFEL. In the future, they will increasingly focus on how novel functionalities can be achieved through targeted design.

Quantum Universe
In the Cluster of Excellence “Quantum Universe,” scientists from Universität Hamburg and DESY investigate major unresolved questions of the universe. Their focus lies on the Higgs boson and its significance for the development of the universe from its origin to the present day. Quantum Universe is a leader in developing technologies for gravitational wave detectors and benefits from synergies between experiments on dark matter and gravitational waves. By combining new ideas from theoretical physics with modern mathematical structures, the cluster makes significant progress in describing quantum gravity. It also develops innovative artificial intelligence methods to enable efficient and resource-saving processing of large research data volumes.

Understanding Written Artefacts
The Cluster of Excellence “Understanding Written Artefacts” (UWA) explores one of humanity’s core practices – handwriting – from its ancient origins to the digital age. The focus lies on the materiality of written artefacts: this holistic approach opens new perspectives on the development of handwriting across cultures worldwide. Driven by the so-called “small disciplines,” UWA integrates expertise from the natural sciences, such as food chemistry and particle physics, and computer science. The cluster thus creates a conceptual framework for investigating written artefacts from a global perspective and develops innovative materials science methods. Researchers from Universität Hamburg collaborate with DESY, Hamburg University of Technology, and Helmut Schmidt University.

Bluemat – Water Driven Materials
Artificial materials are typically composed of complex chemical compounds and are often not sustainable. The Cluster of Excellence “BlueMat: Water Driven Materials,” based at Hamburg University of Technology, takes a globally unique approach by developing a new class of sustainable materials inspired by nature that acquire novel properties through interaction or contact with water. These could potentially be used in smart windows, thermal insulation for energy-efficient buildings, and in harvesting and storing energy from environmental processes. To this end, an interdisciplinary team from Hamburg University of Technology, Universität Hamburg, DESY, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg University of Fine Arts, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD), European XFEL and other associated partners in the Hamburg region are working closely together.