Our researchers devote themselves to the major challenges of our time by pursuing a number of various research priorities. Here, special focus lies on our five key research areas. We live interdisciplinarity and promote cooperation across borders – nationally and internationally. Through application-oriented fundamental research, we jointly develop solutions for the world of tomorrow.

Whether our research is conducted individually on site at Paderborn University or in cooperation with other universities, research institutions, or companies – the success of our academics with national and international funding bodies is built on excellent research. Paderborn researchers from all disciplines regularly impress the German Research Foundation (DFG), various ministries, and foundations with their innovative projects and specialist expertise. Paderborn University is also home to outstanding personalities who have been honoured with prestigious research awards at European and national level.

Paderborn University’s five key research areas unite researchers from across all faculties under one thematic umbrella. These research areas are characterised by an outstanding research infrastructure, excellent minds, and a particularly intense interdisciplinary research activity.

Our five faculties are home to the research groups of over 250 professors. Their work ranges from pioneering fundamental research to highly innovative application-oriented research. We have created spaces for interdisciplinary and cross-faculty cooperation with our interdisciplinary research institutions, where academics from various disciplines conduct collaborative research on a specific topic.