On 22 May 2025, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced the decision regarding the Clusters of Excellence funding line of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. Unfortunately, 'Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems' (livMatS) was not among the Clusters of Excellence selected in this highly competitive competition for the seven-year funding period from 2026 to 2032. livMatS had applied for a second funding period with its vision of life-like, energy-autonomous and adaptive materials systems, which can adapt to a changing environment. The University of Freiburg applied for a total of four Clusters of Excellence, two of which received funding.
While we very much regret the current decision, we remain convinced of the Cluster of Excellence's achievements, its research profile, and long-term vision. Since 2019, we have succeeded in bringing together a highly visible international research team behind this future-oriented topic, as well as attracting valuable partners in Germany and abroad. Everyone involved has achieved a great deal, so we can look back with pride on the outstanding successes of the last six and a half years.
We have published over 600 highly recognized and excellently cited scientific papers, built internationally acclaimed large-scale demonstrators with our pavilions and have further developed research on sustainable materials in the direction of adaptivity, longevity and energy autonomy. We are particularly proud of the fact that we have not only developed new material systems, but have also driven forward the discourse on the social implications of new technologies in a unique way.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our fantastic team who have achieved and created so much in recent years. This would not have been possible without the diverse efforts and great commitment of many. Many thanks to everyone in science and administration, you have done a great job!
Building on these achievements, we will reposition ourselves and continue our pioneering research in a new form in the years to come. We believe in the livMatS vision and consider advancing research in sustainable materials systems essential to creating a future-oriented society.
The livMatS Cluster of Excellence Spokesperson Team
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe
Prof. Dr. Anna Fischer
Prof. Dr. Bastian Rapp