Chirality, the property that makes an object distinct from its mirror image, is ubiquitous in nature. It is found in elementary particles, in molecules and biological structures, and manifests itself in many physical phenomena. In particular, it gives rise to a remarkable intrinsic stability against external perturbations that has spurred a strong worldwide interest in chiral materials.

The future of our planet – for the human race, the fauna and flora, and all generations to come – largely depends on how Earth’s climate evolves. In this regard, which climate futures are plausible, and how can desirable futures be achieved? These questions are subject to considerable uncertainty. In order to make decisions, we human beings have to be able to realistically judge our circumstances, have to know what’s coming our way and what options we have for shaping tomorrow. At the University of Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society” (CLICCS), researchers are tackling these complex questions using a unique combination of academic rigor and interdisciplinary diversity.

Questions about the nature of matter and the fundamental forces, about the history of the Universe and the origin of everything we observe have always been at the core of human curiosity. Today, the Standard Model of Particle Physics describes the interactions between the fundamental building blocks of matter, the quarks and leptons, but leaves several central questions unanswered: What is the mechanism behind the formation of matter by the strong „color“ force? How did the asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the Universe emerge and how is it related to the different „flavors“ of quarks seen in the weak interaction? Are there yet unknown particles or forces?

New materials with customized functionality form the basis for progress of modern technology, from information and communication via energy generation, distribution and storage to mobility and beyond. Condensed matter physics, having time and again sparked major technological breakthroughs, has produced a game-changing paradigm termed topology: materials can have remarkable and robust global properties which lie beyond what can simply be measured locally.

Functionalities are at the heart of the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter“. Atoms bind together and form solids, molecules interact and react - new functionalities emerge with increasing complexity and growing system size.

The dynamic evolution of our Universe is regulated by nonlinear physical processes that occur on vastly different timescales, from fractions of a second to billions of years. How are they interconnected to shape the Universe?

e-conversion focuses on researching energy conversion processes that take place at interfaces. Wherever light, charges, and matter interact, our Cluster of Excellence explores the fundamentals of future energy technologies.

The Cluster of Excellence Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (HCM) promotes cutting-edge research in mathematics and its applications, establishing Bonn as a focal point for leading international scholars. HCM’s research program encompasses a broad spectrum of mathematics, ranging from groundbreaking foundational work to applications in industry and medicine.

The Berlin Mathematics Research Center MATH+ aims to advance mathematics in close interaction with interdisciplinary research in order to make progress on central questions across a broad range of application areas.

The Cluster "Mathematics Münster: Dynamics – Geometry – Structure" advances cutting-edge research by implementing integrated approaches to solve fundamental problems across various mathematical disciplines. These approaches combine different techniques, perspectives, or fields of expertise to address challenges comprehensively.

Scientists across the world are expanding the frontiers of our knowledge and experimental capabilities in quantum science. MCQST researchers have played a highly significant role in this endeavor, successfully establishing MCQST as a world-leading research center in quantum science and technology (QST). They have generated seminal scientific advances within QST, which have been recognized through numerous awards and honors. At the same time, MCQST has developed into an anchor point that shapes and develops the Munich quantum ecosystem.

The Cluster of Excellence “Matter and Light for Quantum Computing” (ML4Q) launched its scientific program in 2019. Its goal is to develop the foundations of a comprehensive quantum technology with computing and networking functionality. Leading researchers from the Universities of Cologne, Bonn, and Aachen, together with Forschungszentrum Jülich, are bundling their expertise in the fields of solid-state physics, quantum optics and quantum information to decisively advance this future-oriented field.

ORIGINS has set out to understand the evolution of our Universe from the Big Bang to the emergence of life, addressing some of humanity's deepest questions. In the last six years, we have built a unique collaboration between bio-, particle-, and astro-physicists at leading institutes in the Munich area. Our common goal is to unravel the origin of the Universe; starting from primordial quantum fluctuations which give rise to the cosmic web, leading to the formation of galaxies, stars, planets, and the emergence of life itself.

Major advances in physics over the last century have contributed to our understanding of various states of matter. However, today, the characteristics of the living state of matter are still not understood, as well as how complex spatiotemporal organization emerges in living systems. Therefore, identifying the physical principles that govern life remains one of the most significant scientific challenges of our time. The Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL), one of five Clusters at Dresden University of Technology, aims to address this challenge, with the goal of revealing the physical laws that govern the dynamic organization of living matter.

Energiewende – the energy transition that forms a fundamental tenet of our global economy – faces challenges from limited material availability, extinction of European mining industries, geopolitical threats, and price fluctuations. This is particularly relevant for electrochemical energy storage (EES), a key technology for enabling the use of renewable energy. Alternative EES technologies are needed, which requires coordinated, fundamental research aiming for high-performance, safe, affordable and sustainable solutions. These must be based on diverse and abundant raw materials, enhancing energy security and sovereignty and ensuring a resilient and sustainable energy future.

At the core of our Universe lies a world of particles so small they defy imagination, yet so fundamental they shape everything we see. The Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics describes the microscopic world with extraordinary precision, providing a deep understanding of fundamental interactions, the structure of matter, and the evolution of the Universe.

The Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe II (QU-II) seeks to advance our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature that underlie all physical processes from the earliest quantum era of cosmological history to the largest gravitational structures of today’s Universe. Despite the success of the Standard Model of particle physics and general relativity in describing the microscopic components of the Universe and gravitational interactions at cosmic scales, fundamental questions remain: What produced the large imbalance between matter and antimatter? What is the dark matter that constitutes 85% of the total matter in the Universe? What causes the accelerated expansion of the cosmos? How can gravity be described by a quantum theory, and what is its underlying mathematics?

“To measure is to know” – that is the essence of the natural sciences. Measuring at the quantum frontier is the essence of quantum metrology.

RESOLV pioneered Solvation Science as an interdisciplinary research field. Solvents are no longer understood as mere bystanders but have been recognized to play an active and decisive role in chemical processes. RESOLV provides a cohesive framework and innovative techniques, many of them developed by us, for understanding and controlling solvent-driven processes. Exploiting the transformative power of Solvation Science is key to address urgent scientific and societal challenges, such as transitioning from fossil to sustainable carbon and energy sources for chemical feedstock production.

The cluster of excellence STRUCTURES explores new concepts and methods for understanding how structure, collective phenomena, and complexity emerge from the fundamental laws of physics. These concepts are also central for finding structures in large datasets, and for realizing new forms of analogue computing.

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and other resources we use, have resulted from interactions between the Earth’s geosphere and biosphere. Understanding these interactions is thus essential for human survival and wellbeing, which are endangered by anthropogenically induced climate and land-use change. While contemporary anthropogenic pressures are unprecedented, the processes and natural laws governing the Earth System remain universal.

The ocean floor is the largest interface in the Earth system, where geological, physical, biological, and chemical processes drive global biogeochemical element cycling and climate dynamics. The Cluster addresses key gaps in process understanding on the global role of the ocean floor by quantifying interconnected budgets of energy, carbon and other elements as well as their dynamically changing properties under warming conditions.

UniSysCat is an interdisciplinary research network working jointly on coupled reactions in catalysis. To master this challenge, our research groups are comprising molecular and structural biologists, biochemists and biophysicists, physical and theoretical chemists as well as physicists.