Rankings and Data on Research

For some years now, the University of Bremen has been able to maintain its position among the top-notch research universities in Germany. This is underscored by its successful performance within the context of the Excellence Initiative. Since 2001 the University has been hosting one of only six existing DFG Research Centers. Currently, the University of Bremen can proudly boast six Collaborative Research Centers, two of which are Transregios run in cooperation with Freiburg University and RWTH Aachen.

The high proportion of external funding is reflected in the various research rankings. In the DFG funding rankings, for instance, Bremen University is on position 25 in terms of absolute funding in the period 2005-2007. In relation to the number of full-time researchers, though, it occupies position 9. And with regard to the amount of external funding (without medical faculties) acquired from all sources, in absolute figures Bremen University even rises to position 7 of all german universities.

Bremen also shines in the CHE university rankings. Nine of the audited disciplines are included in the very top category, and in three different disciplines Bremen University occupies position 1 in respect of the amount of external funding acquired by its scholars and scientists (the geosciences, sociology, political science). In six further disciplines (production engineering, geography, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, business studies) Bremen ranks among the top ten German universities.

The number of research publications produced by the scholars and scientists at Bremen University increased only slightly in the period 2004 to 2009, with 17% more articles (in the fields encompassed by the Scopus/Elsevier survey). However, it should be taken into account that the number of professors declined during this period. Within the same period, though, the number of citations increased by 95% (two-year windows, each for articles appearing in the previous two years) – and hence also the international visibility and the impact of research “made in Bremen”.