Excellence Initiative

Supporting cutting-edge research, strengthening German universities and research facilities and improving Germany’s international competitive position – these were the goals of the Excellence Initiative by the German Federal and State Governments to Promote Science and Research at German Universities. The University of Erlangen-Nürnberg has participated very successfully in the Excellence Initiative, being chosen as the location for both the Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT) and the Cluster of Excellence ‘Engineering of Advanced Materials’ (EAM). The SAOT received approximately 1.85 million euros of annual funding from 2006 to 2019, while the Cluster of Excellence EAM received a total of 70 million euros in funding from 2007 to 2019.

Engineering of Advanced Materials

New materials and processes play a crucial role in ensuring the competitiveness of industry, enabling economic growth, improving our quality of life and preserving a habitable environment. EAM develops hierarchically organised materials with custom electrical, optical, catalytic and mechanical properties. Innovative applications in the area of nanoelectronics, photonics, catalysis and lightweight construction are being developed in seven Research Areas as part of new collaborative research involving the University, external research institutions and industry. EAM envisions closing the gap between the fundamental research and application of modern functional materials.

More information: www.eam.fau.eu

Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies

Optics are one of the most important technologies of the new century. From global positioning systems and the internet or lasers and fibre optics to eye surgery and lithography for chip production – in almost all areas of life, modern society benefits greatly from the rapid progress made in this area. In the Graduate School, young researchers are working closely together at the intersections of materials sciences, metrology, medicine and processing technology and learning how to harness the potential of new optical technologies.

More information: www.aot.fau.de