Renewal as a Guiding Principle
Freiburg, 01/04/2026
What does it mean to establish a university for the future? The University of Freiburg has an answer: renewal as a guiding principle, excellence as a driving force, responsibility as a mindset. As one of the strongest research universities in Germany, Freiburg aims to make a global impact and provide orientation and inspiration far beyond campus. In the following interview, Rector Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein describes what makes a university relevant today, what conditions top-level research needs, and how the impulses from the Excellence Strategy benefit the top and the grassroots in the same measure.
Change as part of Freiburg’s DNA: ‘The University of Freiburg has worked to maintain its relevance again and again over the course of centuries’, says Rector Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein. Photo: Silvia Wolf / University of Freiburg
Ms Krieglstein, the future agenda ‘UFR 2040’ covers a broad horizon. What is your vision?
Our aspiration is to develop the University of Freiburg further as a leading, connected, and responsible research institution. The future agenda is a targeted framework for achieving that. We have been experiencing multiple crises and rapid technological change for some time now. We must hence rethink our role in society. We must make it clearer what additional benefit the University has to offer for our democratic culture, for our prosperity, and for our quality of life. My vision is a university that provides orientation and takes on responsibility for society.
How does one transform knowledge into orientation?
By addressing the great challenges of our time, from climate change and new therapeutic approaches to cultural transformations and AI, in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner. But providing orientation involves more than just producing data and diagrams. A university has the greatest impact when it shares its findings and makes them accessible – in living labs with citizens, in political consulting, or in innovation partnerships with companies. By 2040 we aim to raise the University of Freiburg’s profile as a source of inspiration even further and become a global leader in our research foci.
Planning fifteen years of university development means committing oneself while at the same time remaining flexible. How are you managing this balancing act?
Fifteen years sounds like a long time, but for a university it’s a realistic timeframe: long enough to spark change, see the effect, and adjust the course if necessary. The University of Freiburg has worked to maintain its relevance again and again over the course of centuries. Our capacity for renewal is therefore indispensable for our future as well. Change must be a part of our DND, of our entire governance – upheld by a culture that lives and breathes openness and fosters enablement. This keeps the University reliable while at the same time equipping it for the future.
The University of Freiburg is in the running for the title of University of Excellence. How does this competition tie in with your long-term development?
The competition is an incentive for us. It gives us the freedom to ask big questions about the future beyond day-to-day realities and to improve the conditions for top-level research in a targeted manner. This also benefits teaching: Additional funding facilitates novel course formats at the European level, a greater emphasis on research in studies, and the acquisition of central future skills. But the key point is that we do not regard excellence as an end in itself. We want to be leaders in research but at the same time remain relevant for society. In this sense, the Excellence title would be a catalyst for our vision.
„We believe in the people who work here – their talent and their ideas, their curiosity and their great capacity to make things happen. Structures and facilities are of course also important, but the key factor is an environment that fosters cooperation and strengthens responsibility. This leads to excellent research that makes an impact far beyond the University..“
Prof. Dr Kerstin Krieglstein
Rector, University of Freiburg
The Excellence Strategy is aimed primarily at top-level research. How can you take advantage of your impulses in such a way that they benefit the University at the grassroots level as well?
The top and the grassroots are two sides of the same coin, because excellent research needs a strong base. Take the following two examples from our measures: Through breakthrough funding, we aim to enable researchers with original ideas to make the leap to the global elite. Through trendsetting appointments, we aim to open up new interface fields in our research profile. At the same time, we’ll be improving the foundations for all – from efficient core facilities and modern research IT to reliable career paths in academia and beyond. This also includes continuously developing skills and qualifying researchers, students, and administrative employees to help shape the University’s further development. This interplay makes us a sought-after partner, also internationally.
Making things happen: The University of Freiburg shares its finding and makes them accessible – in living labs with citizens, in political consulting, or in innovation partnerships with companies. Photo: Sandra Meyndt / University of Freiburg
What do you mean by acting globally as a university?
For us it means building networks that both facilitate excellence in research and establish ties to politics, industry, and society. Researchers seek out the strongest partners for their projects worldwide, and Freiburg is attractive for them, because we combine top-level research in key areas with a culture of cooperation. Europe is a central sphere of activity for us, united by our commitment to academic freedom and backed up by high mobility and strong support. At the same time, we maintain partnerships in North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa, providing us international visibility and connectivity.
This Die Zeit supplement is titled ‘Exzellente Köpfe, exzellente Forschung’ (Excellent minds, excellent research). The two belong together, but what is the connecting link?
Our university culture. We believe in the people who work here – their talent and their ideas, their curiosity and their great capacity to make things happen. Structures and facilities are of course also important, but the key factor is an environment that fosters cooperation and strengthens responsibility. This leads to excellent research that makes an impact far beyond the University.
Note: This interview was published on 29 October 2025 on ZEIT für X.