German Research Institutions

The University of Cologne is one of the leading research universities in Germany, and has been designated a University of Excellence since 2012. We offer our students an extraordinarily broad and diverse range of subjects and encourage them to pursue their academic interests and to develop both intellectually and personally. Our aspiration is to advance human knowledge through basic research and at the same time to enable its practical application to daily life.

Research

The major, internationally competitive core research areas of the University of Cologne are: mechanisms of ageing-associated diseases, plant breeding research, quantum matter and materials, social and economic behaviour and socio-economic, cultural and political change in Africa, Latin America and South-east Asia.

The University of Cologne cooperates closely with the University Hospital Cologne and renowned research institutions operated by the Max Planck Society and Helmholtz Association in the region. It is particularly active in supporting knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship: the Centre for Organic Electronics (COPT) forges a link between top-level university research and business, and the Gateway incubator supports members of the university in implementing their own business ideas. The university’s graduate schools and research training groups provide an ideal support structure for early career researchers.