University Council re-elects Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger as President
Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger will lead Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) for another six years. On Friday July 24, the University Council unanimously elected computer scientist Hornegger for a third term. Hornegger’s third term begins on April 1, 2027.
Over the past 12 years, Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger has strategically developed FAU and steered it toward success. Under his leadership, FAU has secured major commitments from the state government for the development of the university sites in Erlangen and Nuremberg with milestones such as the Himbeerpalast renovation, the construction of the teaching and research building at Henkestraße 42, new buildings for chemistry, the North Bavarian High-Performance Computing Center, and the renovation of the Erlangen Schloss.
With the President’s support, FAU also successfully secured the “Transforming Human Rights” Cluster of Excellence, focusing on human rights research, in the 2025 Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. As part of this significant federal and state funding, FAU will receive funding in the tens of millions.
Statements on President Hornegger’s re-election
Markus Blume, Bavaria’s Minister of Science
“I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Professor Joachim Hornegger on his re-election as President of FAU. Under his leadership, FAU has undergone impressive development: over 40,000 students, back on the map of excellence, with a strategic focus on a culture of entrepreneurship and a spectacular emphasis on AI – and as a strong, symbiotic innovation partner for global companies. FAU is now more international, research-intensive, and successful than ever. Professor Hornegger has shaped the university with a clear direction and a great will to innovate. He is exactly the right person at the helm of one of the most innovative universities in the country. I am delighted that he will remain FAU’s President in his third term. He is a professor of pattern recognition – and in the Hornegger era, I recognize above all one pattern: the pattern of success. I look forward to continuing our collaboration.”
Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG and Chair of the University Council
“I am very pleased that Joachim Hornegger has been re-elected for a further term and also look forward to continuing our joint work. He is someone who is at the top of his field in science and also understands how the world outside a campus works. That is important, because leading a university today requires in-depth technological understanding and the ability to make decisions and forge partnerships. Joachim Hornegger can do that, and he does it with passion for FAU and for all the young people who study and conduct research there.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU
“It is a joy and an honor for me to be able to lead our outstanding FAU for another six years. I thank the University Council for their confidence in me. In the upcoming term, I will continue to do my utmost to ensure that this university is a platform of freedom where people in all their diversity can passionately research, teach, learn, and create innovation. This freedom is the foundation for all knowledge. At the same time, I want to consistently align FAU with the future and shape the major upheavals of our time rather than merely endure them – especially the topic of artificial intelligence. Today, AI is more than just a technology. It determines whether we accelerate research rather than slowing it down. And I want to strengthen cohesion at our university: internally and in the region. Because in times when others seek to divide, cohesion is, for me, what makes us strong, what makes us better.”