The programme covers three core areas:

• Management skills/business strategies
• Career planning and entering the job market
• Interdisciplinary skills relevant in professional contexts

The next round of the programme will begin on Friday, 6 November 2026. In addition to two groups taught in German, there will be one working group taught in English. The individual programme components of each working group are coordinated and systematically build on one another. Doctoral candidates and postdocs at ����ԭ�� in the first two years of the postdoctoral phase are eligible to apply. Places are limited to 36 participants. 

Application deadline: Saturday, 15 August 2026. The registration fee is 120 euros and can be paid in two instalments. 

Additional information on the programme, the content and the application process can be found on the website of the Graduate Academy at .

If you have any questions or if you require assistance, please contact Dr. Tanja Michler-Cieluch at the Graduate Academy (tel. 0511 762 3920, email ).

Why is ����ԭ�� applying for the University of Excellence title?

The University of Excellence title involves more than just substantial funding. The title also involves advantages for students: early integration in cutting-edge research, outstanding labs and libraries, innovative teaching and international networks. Members of staff would benefit from a distinguished network, better laboratory, library and IT resources; modern management structures; and, thanks to long-term funding, increased stability and planning certainty. Moreover, Universities of Excellence strengthen the communities they are located in: they attract top-notch researchers and investment, support knowledge and technology transfer, and encourage companies and start-ups to locate there. This stimulates the economy, creates jobs and increases international visibility.

What is ����ԭ��’s concept all about?

����ԭ�� is applying with a proposal titled “Excellence. Impact. Change! United in the Spirit of Leibniz”. Our vision is to combine scientific excellence and societal relevance. The concept focuses on the Leibniz Future Unit with six Future Labs. The intention is to create a new strategic structure in which research, transfer and teaching are more aligned with common future issues. At the same time, the Leibniz Future Unit represents a structural evolution of the university: moving away from largely isolated disciplinary approaches towards a more open, theme- and project-oriented collaboration. The Future Labs are intended to consolidate expertise, set strategic priorities and provide new impetus for research that positively impacts society.

What happens during and after the on-site review?

Following the written proposal, which ����ԭ�� submitted on time in November 2025, the on-site review is the next decisive step on the path to becoming a University of Excellence. A panel of renowned international experts will conduct an on-site assessment of the university’s research and infrastructure. In addition to attending presentations from the various disciplines and departments, the reviewers will speak with various status groups at ����ԭ��. The experts will then assess whether the measures and goals outlined in the proposal can be applied and implemented in practice. The Excellence Commission will announce the final decision on 2 October 2026.

Additional information about ����ԭ��’s University of Excellence application: www.uni-hannover.de/exu

As a university, ����ԭ�� is able to offer micro-credentials and micro degree programmes not just for bachelor’s and master’s students, but also for doctoral candidates and postdocs. It is thus adopting the mandate of piloting and certifying innovative formats. At the same time, the high degree of flexibility necessitates clear goals: What is ����ԭ�� already using these formats for? Where can the faculties, schools and future labs use them in future?

Potential areas of application at ����ԭ��:

• Additional qualification on cross-cutting topics such as sustainability and AI during university studies
• Lifelong learning of new technologies for alumni – for example, AI applications or new research findings
• Additional qualification for doctoral candidates or postdocs in an Excellence area
• Acquisition of (international) junior researchers through the provision of English-language qualifications for doctoral candidates and postdocs
• Preservation of teaching content even in the case of reduced demand through the transformation of teaching offers into on-demand micro-credentials and micro degree programmes
• Supplementation of existing teaching offers through additional qualifications in fields that will play a role in future but are not yet embedded in the curricula

The list of potential applications doesn’t end there: through the strategically defined and judicious use of micro-credentials and micro degree programmes, ����ԭ�� could make its study programmes more flexible and deliver significant added value to selected target groups in future. 

Overall, the formats support interdisciplinary cooperation and enrich ����ԭ��’s study programmes. The Leibniz AI Academy serves as an example of this: The format is also well suited to academic continuing education – for example, through the Centre for ����ԭ��: .

Dates and link:

• Time: Wednesdays: 12.30 pm–1 pm
• Dates: 5 November 2025, 12 November 2025, 19 November 2025, 26 November 2025, 10 December 2025 and 17 December 2025
• Link:

The next round of the programme is scheduled to start on Friday, 7 November 2025. In addition to two groups taught in German, there will be one interdisciplinary work group taught in English. The matching workshops in English and German build on each other. ����ԭ�� doctoral candidates and postdocs in the first two years of the postdoctoral phase are eligible to apply. The programme is limited to a maximum of 36 participants.

Application deadline: Thursday, 31 July 2025

Course fee: €120 (payable in two instalments)

Additional information on the programme, the curriculum and the application process can be found on the website of the Graduate Academy at

For further details and guidance, please contact Tanja Michler-Cieluch at the Graduate Academy (tel. +49 511 762 3920; email: ).

Because there are many facets to good teaching, there are three categories in which professors and academic staff members can receive an award: motivation and inspiration, strategy and transfer, and professionalisation and teaching culture. The prize amount is 2,000 euros, and the money is intended to finance additional activities in the area of teaching. The decision is made by a selection committee consisting of four students, two members of the teaching staff, two employees from the university administration, the ����ԭ�� president (chairperson) and the vice president for education (as an advisory member). All ����ԭ�� employees and students can submit nominations.

The prize winners

Category 1: Motivation and inspiration

Hanifa Abdul Hassan is currently working on her doctorate in education on the topic “Home or elsewhere?  A qualitative investigation of the migration decisions of adolescents in Tétouan (Morocco).” Born in Bremen and raised in Tétouan, Hannover and Bonn, she became familiar with people’s different perspectives and life plans early on. One focus of her courses is therefore also “unconscious bias” – everyday and unconscious racism. This is a topic that is well received by the students. “Frau Abdul Hassan raises our awareness – without pointing fingers – of the discrimination that can take place in and around school. You learn an incredible amount in her seminar and you learn to question your privileged view of our everyday life,” says one of the nomination letters.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Kabelac has headed the Institute of Thermodynamics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering since October 2011. Until March of this year, he also held the office of ombudsperson for good teaching and study conditions at ����ԭ��. The conditions in his courses appear to be good as well. “In his courses, he motivated me to learn in a lasting way and not just for exams. Prof. Kabelac also always supports the learning process and is always open to questions,” writes one student. He received praise for the relaxed teaching and working atmosphere and the respectful interactions, as well as the integration of current topics such as the energy and heating transformation in his teaching.

PD Dr. Stefan Kalies has been a member of academic staff at the Institute of Quantum Optics in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics since 2016 and the head of a working group at the Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development (NIFE) since 2018. The students really like his courses: “Stefan Kalies gives comprehensive, interdisciplinary courses at the interface of biology, medicine and physics and conveys the course content using a range of different teaching methods. He takes an interactive approach to teaching his courses, which increases learning success and awakens interest in this subject area.” Stefan Kalies also participated successfully in the 2024 iGEM competition with students from various subject areas.

Prof. Dr. Eike Schling of the Institute of Design and Building Construction has been a professor of load-bearing structures at the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Sciences since 2024. In her nomination letter, a colleague wrote this about him: “He teaches in a completely new way and takes an innovative, interactive approach.” This means, she continues, that especially those students in large courses can take part actively in lectures through online exercises, physical experiments and live feedback; can give and receive direct feedback; and can thus support one another throughout the learning process. His students also appreciate how he teaches: “The topics build ... very well on one another. In particular, difficult abstract topics are presented well visually. The online tests, which can be repeated several times, encourage you to improve and expand your own knowledge.”

Category 2: Strategy and transfer

Rebekka Wandt, M.Sc., of the Institute of Urban Design and Planning in the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Sciences links academic teaching with practical application. To do so, she works not only with other universities in Lower Saxony but also with the Association of Architects and potential property developers. The students value the preparation for their professional lives and especially the practical focus. “Frau Wandt supports the transfer of knowledge into practice and prepares us students specifically for the challenges of the building industry. Her seminars on the conversion of office real estate and urban transformations inspire sustainable concepts and strengthen the connection between academic teaching and professional practice,” says one nomination letter.

Category 3: Professionalisation and teaching culture

Dr. Lena Heidemann has been a member of academic staff at the Institute of Vocational Education and Adult Education in the Faculty of Humanities since July 2011. In recent years she has shaped and further developed the Educational Sciences degree programme in a lasting way. The students view her as a committed expert in her subject area and an approachable person who is always available for discussion. One student wrote the following about her: Lena Heidemann “encouraged me to undertake various research projects and supported me throughout the process. I see her engagement on behalf of students and ... the department as above average and highly motivated.”

Note to editors:

For further information, please contact Mechtild Freiin v. Münchhausen, spokesperson for ����ԭ�� and head of Communications and Marketing (tel. +49 511 762-5342, email: vonMuenchhausen@zuv.uni-hannover.de).

The next round of the programme is scheduled to start on Friday 3 November 2023. In addition to two groups taught in German, there will be one interdisciplinary work group taught in English. The matching workshops in English and German build on each other. Doctoral candidates and postdocs at ����ԭ�� in the first two years of the postdoctoral phase are eligible to apply. Spaces are limited to a maximum of 36 participants.

Application deadline: Tuesday 15 August 2023

Course fee: €120 (payable in two instalments)

Additional information on the programme, the curriculum and the application process can be found on the website of the Graduate Academy at .

For further details and guidance, please contact Tanja Michler-Cieluch from the Graduate Academy (Tel. +49 511 762 3920, Email tanja.michler-cieluch@zuv.uni-hannover.de).

EXPLORE! Leibniz

EXPLORE! Leibniz is ����ԭ��'s new exploratory showcase and a tribute to the life and work of the great polymath and namesake of the university: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Guided by the motto EXPLORE! Leibniz, the history and future of academic research and teaching at ����ԭ�� are presented in an exemplary and tangible way with reference to research and fields of knowledge of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

All those interested are welcome to join the guided tours with Leibniz expert Dr. Ariane Walsdorf from the Communications and Marketing department at ����ԭ��. Moreover, guided tours for children (from 5th grade) as well as tours conducted in English are available upon request. To register, please contact Communications and Marketing (Tel. 0511 762-5342, Email kommunikation@uni-hannover.de).

Leibniz Science Cube

The Leibniz Science Cube of Communications and Marketing illustrates research projects of ����ԭ�� matching the current “Science Year” motto. This year, under the heading "Leibniz UNIversum", the university presents exciting research in the field of astrophysics, satellite-based geodesy and quantum optics, related to the universe theme. Visitors will also learn what Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz thought about crystalline spheres in the sky or countless Earths in space. The Leibniz Science Cube is designed in such a way that the "Leibniz UNIversum" exhibition can be enjoyed individually.

Note to editors:

For further information, please contact Mechtild Freiin v. Münchhausen, spokesperson of ����ԭ�� and head of Communications and Marketing (Tel. +49 511 762 5342, Email vonMuenchhausen@zuv.uni-hannover.de).

The funding programme of the federal government is intended to transfer AI expertise available at universities into general industrial application. In addition to the location at ����ԭ��, the ProKI network comprises seven more centres. Like ����ԭ��, some of these centres are TU9 members, an alliance of nine leading technical universities in Germany. ProKI centres focusing on different topics will be established at RWTH Aachen (project coordination), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, as well as at TU Berlin and TU Darmstadt.

The centre in Hannover is led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Berend Denkena from the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW). “The ProKI demonstration centre will provide an excellent infrastructure for testing AI approaches in small and medium enterprises”, says Professor Denkena.

Small and medium enterprises (SME) are often uncertain when it comes to evaluating the benefits, limits and risks of using AI in production. In many cases, enterprises lack sufficient resources to test and boost AI application without assistance. The infrastructure in Hannover provides various ways of testing application scenarios at the Hannover Centre for Production Technology (PZH) of ����ԭ��. Among other things, turning, milling and grinding machining centres as well as collaborative robots and a wide range of sensor systems are available. This way, AI approaches can be tested in practical applications – for example for monitoring tool wear during milling or for monitoring grinding processes.

In addition to the IFW, project partners include the Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA) and the Institute of Micro Production Technology (IMPT). The Institute of Industrial Science (IAW) will contribute input relating to industrial science matters. The L3S Research Centre of ����ԭ�� will provide support with developing AI approaches. The ProKI centre was launched on 1 October. Over the next months, a website will be created which will enable small and medium enterprises to contact the centre.

Note to editors:

For further information, please contact M. Sc. Dennis Stoppel, Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (Tel. +49 511 762 18327, Email stoppel@ifw.uni-hannover.de).

The funding initiative promotes measures qualifying tomorrow''s academic personnel, e.g. developing degree programmes or individual modules in the field of AI, as well as designing AI-based learning and assessment environments. The Leibniz AI Academy based in the L3S Research Centre of ����ԭ�� is a micro degree programme where students from different degree programmes acquire AI skills. Moreover, the courses will be available as further education opportunities for interested parties from organisations or the industry - with a flexible hybrid teaching concept consisting of on-campus and online learning.

The interdisciplinary concept includes AI skills in computer science as well as in various other disciplines available at ����ԭ��, such as mechanical engineering, geosciences, mathematics or STEM subjects in teacher training courses. The goal is to identify possible applications for disciplines and businesses, as well as to develop forecasts and predictive models while reflecting prospects and limits.

The project in led by a team consisting of Prof. Dr. Ralph Ewerth, Prof. Dr. Johannes Krugel and Prof. Dr. Marius Lindauer from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as Prof. Dr. Steffi Robak from the Faculty of Humanities.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Nejdl, head of L3S and dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, emphasises the innovative and interfaculty component of the programme. "Within the framework of the Leibniz AI Academy, we will bring together our comprehensive expertise in artificial intelligence and the broad spectrum of subjects taught at ����ԭ��, therefore providing students in different degree programmes with innovative and customised learning opportunities."

Prof. Dr. Ralph Ewerth, one of the project managers, is delighted about the funding: "The Leibniz AI Academy enables us to implement an innovative hybrid concept, which includes both on-campus and online teaching elements based on a modern learning concept. In addition, we will evaluate how courses may be incorporated in vocational training."

Note to editors

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Ralph Ewerth, L3S Research Centre (Tel. +49 511 762 19651, Email ewerth@l3s.de).