DFG Survey on Coordinated Programmes 

Questionnaire for 

Cluster of Excellence 

Latest version as of: 15th June 2026
This version contains only date updates,
the previous version dated 22nd May 2025 remains still valid.

You are a member of a Cluster of Excellence (EXC) within the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. For the purpose of reporting on this programme, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) gathers information on the funded projects on an annual basis.
The data is used to produce statistical reports and provide answers to statistical queries. In addition, the data serves as the basis for statistical evaluations, which the DFG uses to comply with its reporting obligations to financial backers, the federal government and the state governments. 
Please refer to the information on data protection in relation to DFG research funding (see Research Funding point IV, under point 10), which you can access at www.dfg.de/privacy_policy. If appropriate, please share this information with individuals whose data is processed by the DFG due to the fact that they are involved in your project.

Completing the questionnaire 

Please provide the requested information beginning on the next page. Then save this file and return it to the responsible person in your project. 

Thank you for your assistance!

Important: 
You are asked to provide different information depending on your status group.

Part I: For all status groups

1.   Current status group

Please tick the status group of which you are currently a member:

  Doctoral researcher (Persons who belong to the project with the aim of obtaining a doctorate including fast-track doctoral researchers, i.e. holders of a bachelor's degree who are eligible for a doctoral programme and are still in the qualifying phase; in Research Training Groups, usually financed by qualifying fellowships of €992/month).
  Doctoral researcher in medicine (Persons who belong to the project with the aim of obtaining the degree of Dr. med. and doctoral researchers in medicine engaging in doctoral research during a course of study. In Research Training Groups, usually financed by qualifying fellowships of €992/month).
  Postdoctoral researcher (Doctoral researchers in early career phases who do not lead a junior research group)
  Independent junior research group leader (Postdoctoral researchers in early career phases who are engaged in independent research and have their own staff and budget. If you are a junior professor leading an independent junior research group, please assign yourself to the "Junior professor" status group).
  Junior professor (Scientists at the beginning of their professorial career with an outstanding doctorate without the usual habilitation, who conduct independent research and qualify for appointment to a lifetime professorship).
  Professor (Persons who hold an ordinary or extraordinary professorship, an honorary professorship, or similar) 
  Other scientifically engaged personnel (Further personnel with dissertation who participate fundamentally in the research part and cannot be assigned to one of the other groups, for example temporary professorship, professorship financed by industry, group leader, laboratory manager, public relations, research management). 
  Visiting researcher (Persons who are working in the project on a visit of limited duration lasting at least one month and are financed through the project funding awarded by the DFG (travel costs and/or funded work, including Mercator-Fellows).	

2.  Personal data

Please state your first name and surname.
First name:	
Surname:	

Please state your gender and the year in which you were born.
Gender:	
Year (four digits):   _ _ _ _	

Please state your nationality. 
1.	Nationality:	
If you hold multiple citizenship: Please state further nationalities. 
2.	Nationality: ________________________   3. Nationality: ________________________  	

Please indicate the area of study and the teaching and research field in which you are primarily active as part of this group. To define them, please use the classification system of the Federal Statistical Office. You can download this document on the survey webpage under "Subject Classification System of the Federal Statistical Office" or here.  
Please note: Your personal specialisation, in which you conduct research in this network, may differ from the superordinate subject of the overall research project or your field of study.
Area of study:	
Teaching and research field:	
Please state the country in which you worked prior to beginning work at your project.
Country prior to beginning:	

3. Participation in the group during the reporting period and status group
	
Please indicate for the period since the last survey (09/2024), for what period of time you participated in the group with what type of funding and to which status group(s) you belonged during this time.
If, during this time, 
•	you participated in the group with more than one type of funding, please complete a separate line for each funding type.
•	you changed the status group (e.g. from doctoral researcher to postdoctoral researcher), please also add a new line and indicate the funding type and period of time for this new status group. 
Notes on type of funding:
•	Please also indicate periods of participation without group funding. "Without group funding" means that the individual's post is/was involved in the group during the specified period, but is/was NOT funded with DFG project funds of the group. 

Status group	Funding type	Period (MM/YYYY) in the group 	

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(Please enter the current status group as indicated on page 2 here) 	
  without group funding 
  1-49% group-funded 
  50% or more group-funded 
	From   _ _ / _ _ _ _
	To    _ _ /_ _ _ _
  not ended

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(In the case of a change of status group or funding type since the last survey, please provide the relevant details here) 	
  without group funding 
  1-49% group-funded 
  50% or more group-funded 
	From   _ _ / _ _ _ _
	To    _ _ /_ _ _ _

If other changes have taken place since the last survey: additional lines can be copied in for a change of status group or change of funding type within the same status group.

Please state the city of your primary affiliation.
City:	

Please state the institution at which you work (primary affiliation). The institution should be stated as specifically as possible (e.g. University of Oldenburg; MPI for Meteorology); please do not state departments or similar.
Institution:	

Finish Part I	

Part II: for specific status groups only	

•	Doctoral researcher: 	Continue on p. 5
•	Persons who have changed from the "doctoral researcher" or "doctoral researcher in medicine" status group to another status group since the last survey without indicating the date of conferral of a doctorate or the date on which the dissertation was submitted 	Continue on p. 6
•	Doctoral researcher in medicine: 	Continue on p. 7
•	Other scientifically engaged personnel: 	Continue on p. 7
•	Junior professor: 	Continue on p. 8
•	Professor: 	Continue on p. 8

Only for the "doctoral researcher" status group (not in medicine)
Please provide information on your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate. 
 I have been accepted to the doctoral programme as a graduate of a bachelor   
     programme (Fast Track) 
 I have a master or similar degree - e.g. state examination, diploma	
Please state the date of the university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate. 
  Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified	
Please state whether you did your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate outside Germany or in Germany.
  outside Germany
  in Germany
  I don’t know / not specified	
If you did your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate in Germany:
Please state the city and the institution where you did your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate.
City:	
Institution:	
If you did your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate outside Germany:
Please state the country where you did your university degree that qualifies you for a doctorate.
Country:	

Date on which you estimate that you began your doctoral work.
  Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified 	
Please state the status of your doctoral project.
 Ongoing doctoral work, dissertation not (yet) submitted
 Dissertation submitted, oral examination pending
 Dissertation submitted and oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.) passed
 Doctoral work discontinued 
  I don’t know / not specified	
If you submitted your dissertation: 
Please state when you submitted your dissertation.
  Dissertation submitted on:        Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified 	
If you passed your oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.): 
Please state the date of your oral examination.
  Oral examination took place on: Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
    I don’t know / not specified	
Special case: Only for persons who have changed from the "doctoral researcher" or "doctoral researcher in medicine" status group to another status group since the last survey without indicating the date of conferral of a doctorate or the date on which the dissertation was submitted.
Please state the status of your doctoral project.
 Dissertation submitted, oral examination pending
 Dissertation submitted and oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.) passed
 Doctoral work discontinued 
 I don’t know / not specified	
If you submitted your dissertation: 
Please state when you submitted your dissertation.
  Dissertation submitted on:        Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified 	
If you passed your oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.): 
Please state the date of your oral examination.
  Oral examination took place on: Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
    I don’t know / not specified	
Only for the "doctoral researcher in medicine" status group  
Date on which you estimate that you began your doctoral work.
  Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified	

Please state the status of your doctoral project.
 Ongoing doctoral work, dissertation not (yet) submitted
 Dissertation submitted, oral examination pending
 Dissertation submitted and oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.) passed
 Doctoral work discontinued 
  I don’t know / not specified	
If you submitted your dissertation: 
Please state when you submitted your dissertation.
  Dissertation submitted on:        Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
  I don’t know / not specified 	
If you passed your oral examination or oral defence (“Disputation”, “Rigorosum”, etc.): 
Please state the date of your oral examination.
  Oral examination took place on: Month/Year (MM/YYYY):  _ _ / _ _ _ _
    I don’t know / not specified	

Only for the "other scientifically engaged personnel" status group
Function in project: Please select a function from the list.
  Laboratory manager
  Research management (management, coordination, mentoring)
  Group leader
  Other scientific personnel
  Professorship (financed by industry, temporary professorship)
  Public relations
  Not specified	

Only for the “professor” and “junior professor” status group, 
with posts financed from Cluster of Excellence funds 
(Funding type: 1-49% group-funded, or 50% or more group-funded) 

Information on an Excellence Strategy professorship financed from Cluster of Excellence funds
Name of professorship: 

At which institution were you appointed to this professorship? 
In the case of a joint appointment by several universities or involving non-university research organisations, please indicate all participating institutions.
1.	City:	

1.	Institution:	

If other universities or non-university research institutions participated in the appointment, please list them here:
2.	 City:	

2.	Institution:	

3.	City:	

3.	Institution: 	

Remuneration: 
Please state the remuneration of the (junior) professorship.
  W3
  W2 
  W1, junior professorship
  Other
  Not specified	

Type of appointment 
Please state the type of appointment.
  Newly created professorship
  New appointment (of an existing professorship)
  Early new appointment (of an existing professorship)
  Re-designation
  Other _____________________________________ 
  Not specified 	

Employment perspective at the time the post was filled:
Please state the employment perspective you had at the time the post was filled.
  Permanent employment
  Non-competitive tenure track 
  Competitive tenure track
  Other fixed-term contract
  Other: _____________________________________ 
  Not specified	

Here you can provide comments on this (junior) professorship.

	

Thank you for your assistance!
Please save the file and return it as soon as possible to the contact person of your project.