Successful research and sound infrastructure go hand in hand
A new record for FAU: With around 300 million euros of third-party funding, 2024 was the year in which the University received the most funding in its entire history. “I would like to congratulate all our researchers who made a contribution to this remarkable achievement,” said FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger. “This amount is proof of FAU’s outstanding reputation in research. It forms the basis that enables the University to continue and also further develop its diversity and innovation in teaching, research and infrastructure.”
The 300.35 million euros of third-party funding come from four main sources: Exactly 109.35 million euros come from the German Research Foundation, 87.24 millionen euros from industry, foundations and other private sources, 71.67 million euros from the Federal Government and 23.85 million euros from EU projects.
The funding is distributed between the faculties as follows: The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology was awarded 24.82 million euros of funding. The Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law received 15.78 million euros while the Faculty of Medicine received 84.14 million euros. The Faculty of Sciences was awarded 50.52 million euros and the Faculty of Engineering received 103.11 million euros. The central institutions such as the Erlangen Regional Computing Center (RRZE) contribute with an income of 21.97 million euros.
Research at the heart of FAU
FAU has continuously increased its third-party funding since 2013 by around 75 percent. “With innovative research ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration, and passion, all researchers at our FAU make a considerable contribution to this great success – whether they are working in a large team of researchers at a higher level in their career who gain millions of euros in funding with collaborative research centers or they are doctoral candidates who successfully apply for places on funding programs sponsored by foundations,” emphasizes Joachim Hornegger.
Third-party funding is key to stable infrastructure
The amount of third-party funding awarded plays an important role in maintaining and developing the University’s infrastructure. “This third-party funding is not only essential for us to continue our excellent research activities, in times where budgets are limited, the funding for overheads from third-party sources are essential in order to keep our laboratories, institutions and technical equipment up to date,” explains FAU President Hornegger. This funding for overheads is used to finance infrastructure that provides our researchers with the resources they need to implement their projects successfully. In addition, third-party funding secures the financial basis for attracting and retaining highly-qualified personnel and strengthens the national and international visibility of FAU.
Future prospects
FAU’s aim is to maintain a consistently high level of third-party funding in the coming years. The main focus here lies in securing research capacities in the long term. “It is important for us to continue to deliver excellent performance in all areas of research and ensure that we have the infrastructure necessary to do so,” says President Hornegger. This requires the University to continuously adapt itself to changing requirements in the research landscape and to establish new partnerships with national and international funding providers.
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