German federal government’s Excellence StrategyMulti-million-euro funding awarded for CLICCS research

22 May 2025, by Stephanie Janssen

Photo: ankush minda/unsplash

The University of Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence for climate research CLICCS – “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society” has been honored for its pioneering research focus and awarded a further seven years of funding, as announced today by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and German Science and Humanities Council (WR).

“I’m very pleased with the decision,” says Johanna Baehr, a Professor of Physical Oceanography and CLICCS Speaker. “Our combination of in-depth expertise and interdisciplinary diversity affords us a unique position in climate research. We explore which climate futures are plausible – and how those climate futures desired by society can become a reality.”

What future awaits us depends not just on the climate system but also on society – that is, on how we choose to live, work and do business in the future. Accordingly, researchers from the natural and social sciences will collaborate even more closely in CLICCS II. Their guiding principle: that climate change and social development are linked by two essential measures – reducing CO₂ emissions and adapting to a changing climate.

Which factors hinder us from taking effective action and which ones help us do so? The new Cluster of Excellence will not only expand on the previous approach but also project it into the future. To that end, it will integrate various parts of society and encourage thinking that goes beyond established models of the future. On this basis, the Cluster will provide scientifically sound decision-making support for politicians and develop effective climate measures in dialogue with society.

CLICCS brings together the University of Hamburg and twelve external partners, including the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, and German Climate Computing Center. Currently, more than 200 experts from 16 disciplines are pursuing answers to interdisciplinary questions. As part of the German federal government’s Excellence Strategy, the current Cluster of Excellence CLICCS will be funded through the end of 2025, at which point the research initiative CLICCS II, which has now been approved, will succeed it.

In addition to CLICCS, the submissions for the University of Hamburg’s established Clusters “CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter,” “Quantum Universe” and “Understanding Written Artefacts” were also deemed excellent, securing a further seven years of funding for each.

For the first time, “BlueMat: Water-Controlled Materials” project from TU Hamburg with participation of the University will be recognized as a Cluster of Excellence in Hamburg. Congratulations!

To press release of the University of Hamburg (German)
To the German Research Foundation website