For the first time in Germany, a digitally supported motion analysis of a Paralympic national team is being conducted under the leadership of the University of Bayreuth: Prof. Dr. Franz Konstantin Fuss, Chairholder of Biomechanics at the University of Bayreuth, together with his former Master’s student Lena Bäumker – now a research associate – are equipping the wheelchairs of the men’s and women’s national basketball teams with sensors that provide insights into performance and training optimisation. The project is funded by the Federal Institute of Sport Science with over €130,000.

A hub to promote start-ups and innovation is being established on the University of Bayreuth campus: the new building for the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I). Following the positive decision by the Budget Committee of the Bavarian State Parliament, all systems are now set for the construction phase.

The University of Bayreuth welcomes Princess Dr. Auguste of Bavaria, an outstanding personality, as a new external member of the University Council. The zoologist and internationally renowned behavioral scientist took up her post on November 15, 2025. Her appointment is valid until November 14, 2029.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 225 "From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication to Functional Tissue Models" (Biofab) for a third funding period. This will further strengthen the successful collaboration between the Universities of Bayreuth, Erlangen-Nuremberg and Würzburg and sustainably expand cutting-edge research in the field of biofabrication. 

The University of Bayreuth has significantly improved its standing in the newly released QS Sustainability Ranking 2026, recording an exceptional leap in performance particularly in the area of Environmental Sustainability. Its score in this category rose from 27.4 points in the previous year to 52.4 points—nearly doubling and powerfully reflecting the University’s substantially expanded sustainability initiatives. The overall score also increased, from 71.0 to 76.6 points, further strengthening the University’s position in the international comparison.

The University of Bayreuth has once again climbed the ranks in many areas of the international Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. In particular, the subjects Business Administration, Ecology, and Earth Sciences stand out. In total, more than 2,000 universities worldwide were assessed across 57 subjects.

Three scientists from the University of Bayreuth have been included in the prestigious Highly Cited Researchers List 2025. This makes them among the most cited minds in their fields worldwide. 

An international research team led by the University of Bayreuth has developed an innovative method for producing green hydrogen directly from seawater – without the use of additional reagents. The researchers report their groundbreaking findings in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Rapid population growth is driving sweeping land use changes that have become the chief cause of species decline on Mount Kilimanjaro. These are the findings of an international research team led by the University of Bayreuth, published in the scientific journal PLOS One.

Several projects at the University of Bayreuth are being funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF; German: EFRE) through the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. The funded topics include personalised medicine, materials development, and modern simulation methods. The aim of the ERDF funding is to improve living conditions across Europe.

Plants adapt the growth of their roots and shoots differently in response to environmental changes. This is the outcome of a study involving the Ecological-Botanical Garden (ÖBG) at the University of Bayreuth. The researchers challenge previous assessments of climate change impacts on plants, which often extrapolate from aboveground to belowground plant structures. Their findings have been published in the journal Plant & Soil.

In the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR), the University of Bayreuth is placed in the global group 301–350, once again demonstrating its strong performance. Particularly noteworthy is its research environment, where it ranks 248th out of 2,191 evaluated universities worldwide.

An international research team led by the University of Bayreuth has discovered a metal that combines electrical conductivity with internal polarity. This enables it to exhibit second harmonic generation – an optical effect typically observed only in non-metals which is of particular interest for sensors and electrical engineering. The researchers report their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) offers an ecologically advantageous alternative to silage maize for bioenergy production. This is the conclusion of a multi-year comparative study conducted by researchers at the University of Bayreuth. Their findings have now been published in the journal GCB Bioenergy.

Together with small and medium-sized enterprises, the University of Bayreuth is conducting research on advancing the additive manufacturing process Fluid-MEX. The aim is to produce complex silicone components with variable mechanical and physical properties. The project, called FLEXNET, is funded through the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Bavarian Minister for Digital Affairs, Dr. Fabian Mehring, becomes patron of the Digital Leadership Academy at the University of Bayreuth.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has accepted Dr. Helen Grüninger into its prestigious Emmy Noether Programme. Based at the Northern Bavarian NMR Centre (NBNC) and the Bavarian Battery Centre (BayBatt) at the University of Bayreuth, the Emmy Noether junior research group is exploring photobatteries that combine the properties of solar cells and batteries.

The University of Bayreuth offers a nationwide unique interdisciplinary masters programme called Battery Materials and Technology (M.Sc.). For an introduction into the fields of study the University has launched a new online format to explore its contents.

For the fifth time, the Chair of Neuromotorics and Movement at the University of Bayreuth is conducting the Bayreuth Movement Check. This year, there is a new addition: alongside physical literacy, the children's cognitive abilities will also be assessed.

Researchers and experts from the energy sector have collaborated on the “DIVE” project to develop a forward-looking solution for a digital energy system. Among the contributors to the project, led by the Future Energy Lab of the German Energy Agency (dena), was Professor Dr. Jens Strüker from the University of Bayreuth. The researchers have now published the project’s final report.