Heidelberg University’s central research institutions are specialized institutions of research and teaching, providing students additional programmes of study. Generally funded by the rector’s office, these entities are not legally autonomous institutions.

Interdisciplinary research alliances are academic alliances of different institutions at Heidelberg University. By going beyond disciplinary boundaries, they open up new ways of knowledge transfer.

The STRUCTURES Cluster of Excellence addresses specific, highly topical questions about the formation, role, and detection of structure in a broad range of natural phenomena, from subatomic particles to cosmology, and from fundamental quantum physics to neuroscience. 

“3D Matter Made to Order”, the joint Cluster of Excellence by the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology and Heidelberg University, pursues a highly interdisciplinary approach combining natural and engineering sciences. The cluster concentrates on three-dimensional additive manufacturing techniques, from the molecular level to macroscopic dimensions.

The Graduate Academy is building the framework for excellent and structured doctoral training at Heidelberg University. In addition to three graduate schools in the natural sciences financed by the Excellence Initiative, the university has set up the Heidelberg Graduate School for Humanities and Social Sciences as well as a number of structured doctoral programmes, several in cooperation with the local Max Planck Institutes and the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ).

The “Industry on Campus” project, a cooperative effort between Heidelberg University and industry, is an important element in the university’s achievement of Excellence status. Two leading-edge clusters further enhance this cooperation.