What we do
As an association, U15 has worked to achieve the best framework conditions for university research, teaching, transfer, academic careers and governance since 2012. We convey the views of our member universities to policymakers – and vice versa. In addition, dialogue with partners in science and industry is also central to our work. One of our foremost objectives is to strengthen our network with the world's leading research universities. We monitor and analyse science policy issues and trends for our members, both nationally and globally, and offer a forum for trust-based exchange.
How we are organised
U15 is organised as an association. The most important body is the General Assembly, in which the member universities meet regularly to exchange ideas and decide on common positions. The association is managed by the board, while the managing director is responsible for the office.
Who our members are
Our member universities are among the leading German universities and are outstanding centres of cutting-edge research. For example, they are involved in 61% of all current Clusters of Excellence, which are one of the two pillars of the German government’s Excellence Strategy, a highly competitive funding programme for top-level university research in Germany. At the same time, our universities train the next generation of experts and managers for important positions in science, business, the public sector and society. In total, U15 universities have more than half a million students, more than a third of all students enrolled at German universities. Around 80,000 researchers (around 40%) are doing their PhD at a U15 university. Our universities are highly visible internationally and maintain a large number of collaborations with universities and research institutions around the world. All this makes them engines for groundbreaking innovations, from AI to mRNA technology.
The U15 universities
- Freie Universität Berlin
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- University of Bonn
- Goethe University Frankfurt
- University of Freiburg
- University of Göttingen
- University of Hamburg
- Heidelberg University
- University of Cologne
- Leipzig University
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München/ LMU Munich (2 Varianten)
- University of Münster
- University of Tübingen
- Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg