Institutional Strategy 1

Realising the Potential of a Comprehensive University

Mission and Vision

The third funding line of the Initiative for Excellence supports universities that take innovative action to sustainably improve their research situation, support young academics and contribute to the international competitiveness and visibility of the university.

With its strategy "Heidelberg: Realising the Potential of a Comprehensive University", the University resolved to retain its range of subjects and stand out as a classical "universitas" and strong international partner. A comprehensive university offers manifold opportunities for research and learning in response to the great questions of humankind. Heidelberg University thus promotes dialogue beyond the traditional boundaries and cultures of specific subject areas. In so doing it pursues its traditional course of cultivating Heidelberg’s "intellectual ethos". Cross-sectoral cooperation was initiated years ago and is flourishing, as witnessed by the founding of interdisciplinary research centres at the University.

The outstanding research areas of the University are Transcultural Studies, Molecular Life Sciences, Medicine, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics and Scientific Computing; Political Economy is rising fast. With the implementation of the institutional strategy, the University intends, in collaboration with its partners, to further strengthen its performance in these areas and take its place among the top international players. It does not just seek to build new bridges between the subject areas but also to achieve a new quality of interdisciplinary work through the linking of scholarly cultures.

In order to achieve these goals, Heidelberg University will:

• Strengthen the disciplines that make up the comprehensive university
• Develop new forms of interdisciplinary cooperation
• Open up clear career prospects to young academics
• Further improve its position in national and international networks
• Continue with decentralised responsibility for resources

The allocations made to Heidelberg University in the third funding line of the Initiative for Excellence will considerably facilitate its evolution from the classical "universitas" to the comprehensive university of the future. And, at the international level, they can turn Heidelberg into an even more thriving and attractive place to be.