The strategy “Berlin University Alliance – Crossing Boundaries toward an Integrated Research Environment” was the first successful joint proposal of a university consortium in the Universities of Excellence funding line. The consortium partners in the Berlin University Alliance (BUA) are Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin.

With its strategy “TUD 2028 – Synergy and beyond”, Dresden University of Technology continues its success in the predecessor programme Excellence Initiative. With this funding, the university aims to become more innovative, interdisciplinary and international.

With its strategy "The Comprehensive Research University – Heidelberg: The Future since 1386", Heidelberg University has been able to build on its many years of success in the Excellence Initiative. The central points of its strategy are the four profile-building Fields of Focus (FoF). Cooperation between researchers in the Fields of Focus is to be further expanded within the framework of the Excellence Strategy.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the only German university that is also part of the Helmholtz Association. It was successful in the Excellence Strategy with its strategy "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association – Living the Change". The focus points of the proposal are further strengthening its top-level research, increasing exchange with society and creating sustainable career paths for early career researchers.

With the proposal "LMUexcellent – A New Perspective", Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) was able to build on its successes in the Excellence Initiative. The university's strategy is focused on the five areas of “People”, “Campus”, “Investments”, “Partners” and “Governance”.

RWTH Aachen University (RWTH) has been funded in the Excellence Strategy since 2019. Before, it was also funded in the Excellence Initiative. The title of its overall strategy is "The Integrated Interdisciplinary University of Science and Technology. Knowledge. Impact. Networks."

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) already received funding in the Excellence Initiative and has received funding in the Excellence Strategy with its strategy "TUM. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITY. Innovation by Talents, Excellence, and Responsibility". One focus of its strategy is to further strengthen interdisciplinary research by carrying out a structural reform that is gradually replacing the tradi-tional faculties with so-called schools.

In its strategy "A Flagship University – Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future", Universität Hamburg (UHH) focuses on the topic of sustainability. Further, it intends to intensify the cooperation with other research institutions in the Hamburg metropolitan area to promote internationally visible top-level research.

The University of Bonn was successful with its strategy „WE invest in people – WE foster networks – WE create impact“. The core elements of its strategy are the six Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs), which promote cutting-edge research across faculties on selected future topics.

The University of Konstanz is the smallest university currently receiving funding in the Universities of Excellence funding line. It was able to convince with its proposal "University of Konstanz – creative.together", which aims to develop the full potential of its researchers in a culture of creativity.

The University of Tübingen was able to secure its status as a University of Excellence with the proposal "Research – Relevance – Responsibility. Open to New Challenges and a Global Scope of Action". The strategy aims to maintain the university’s position as an internationally visible and competitive research location in the long term.