On the one hand, transformative technologies are seen as the key to significant challenges such as climate change, energy, mobility, and healthcare provision; on the other hand, they are causing increasing innovation skepticism and public controversy. As an interdisciplinary social science cluster, TransforM aims to rethink theories, methods, and practices of participation, legitimacy, responsibility, security, and resilience in relation to transformative technologies for dynamically changing societies. At the same time, the cluster wants to research how these social concerns can be anchored more effectively in innovation processes to harmonize technological progress and economic opportunities with future social, ecological, and political interests.
Together with the HfP, the partners involved in TransforM—alongside lead applicant TUM—include the LMU, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, and the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim. The spokesperson on the TUM side is Prof. Sebastian Pfotenhauer (Innovation Research).
TUM to receive funding for seven Clusters of Excellence
With four renewed and three newly funded Clusters of Excellence—among them TransforM, a project on societal transformation through technology—the Technical University of Munich (TUM) strengthens its position at the forefront of German science. From breakthroughs in energy conversion and quantum technologies to advances in nucleic acid research, the cluster wins underscore Munich’s growing global influence as a hub of cutting-edge research.
Germany’s Excellence Strategy Aims to Boost Global Competitiveness
Backed by federal and state funding since 2019, Germany’s Excellence Strategy promotes high-impact research and institutional innovation through Clusters of Excellence and Excellence University designations. The initiative seeks to elevate the global standing of German universities by fostering long-term academic leadership and scientific excellence. The Excellence Strategy is implemented by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft(DFG) and the Wissenschaftsrat (WR).