CMFI Enters Second Funding Period
The members of CMFI can breathe a sigh of relief: On January 1, 2026, the Tübingen Cluster of Excellence will enter its second funding period with a duration of seven years. This was announced by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) together with the Wissenschaftsrat (WR, German Science and Humanities Council) on May 22, 2025, in Bonn. Following an evaluation by an international expert panel earlier this year, the Committee of Experts made this decision. The Committee of Experts consists of experts from all scientific fields and the ministers for science and research from federal and state governments. With the decision for a second funding period, the Committee of Experts acknowledges the outstanding scientific achievements of recent years and enables the CMFI research network to continue its innovative work in the fight against infectious diseases.
The funding decision is confirmation of the excellent work of recent years and the commitment of our entire team.
— Andreas Peschel, CMFI spokesperson
Successful Track Record as Basis for Funding Renewal
Since its establishment as part of the Excellence Strategy, the Cluster of Excellence "Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections" (CMFI) has established itself as an internationally leading center for infection research. The interdisciplinary collaboration of microbiologists, immunologists, biochemists, bioinformaticians, and clinicians at CMFI has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have fundamentally changed our understanding of microbial mechanisms. Particularly the research results in the field of pathogen-host interactions and the development of novel antimicrobial strategies have demonstrated the international competitiveness and leadership role of CMFI in recent years.
"The funding decision is confirmation of the excellent work of recent years and the commitment of our entire team," explains Prof. Dr. Andreas Peschel, CMFI spokesperson.
"I am over the moon that we can continue our promising research approaches with the approved funding and develop innovative strategies against bacterial infectious diseases. We will particularly intensify research on resistance mechanisms and the development of new antimicrobial agents. Combating multi-resistant pathogens and bacterial infections will become even more problematic in the coming years. I am confident that our research can help solve this problem."
Future Plans: New Research Priorities and Enhanced Collaborations
With the secured financing, CMFI plans to intensify its research activities in several key areas:
• Further development of innovative technologies for targeted optimization of microbiomes
• Deepening the understanding of resistance mechanisms and development of new counter-strategies
• Increased translation of basic research into clinical applications
• Expansion of international research collaborations
In addition, support for young scientists will be further expanded. "We want to prepare young scientists as best as possible for the challenges of the future and provide them with optimal conditions for their research," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Nadine Ziemert, board member, coordinator for early career development, and equal opportunities officer at CMFI.
Significance for Tübingen as a Science Location
The recent decision in the context of the German Excellence Strategy impressively confirmed the internationally leading position of the University of Tübingen in the field of bacterial infection and microbiome research.
President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. (Dōshisha) Karla Pollmann congratulated CMFI on the renewal: "This decision underlines the importance of Tübingen as a leading location for life sciences and contributes to further strengthening our university's profile as a center for cutting-edge research. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges of our time. CMFI, with its insights from infection biology and microbiome research, is well-positioned to assume a global leadership role in addressing this challenge."
The extended funding period allows CMFI to continue ongoing work, plan long-term research projects, and build sustainable structures. Several international conferences are already planned for the coming years to promote scientific exchange and present the results of CMFI.
Across Germany, a total of 70 Clusters of Excellence will be funded in this funding line from 2026. At the University of Tübingen, in addition to CMFI, five additional Clusters of Excellence will receive funding. An overview of the approved clusters can be found in the press release of the University of Tübingen.
The successful six Clusters of Excellence will allow the University of Tübingen to reapply as an overall institution for the status of a University of Excellence in summer 2026.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Peschel
University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen
Department of Infection Biology
Phone: +49 7071 29 75935
Leon Kokkoliadis
Public Relations Management
Tel: +49 7071 29-74707 / +49 152 346 79 269
E-Mail: leon.kokkoliadis@uni-tuebingen.de
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