Technische Universität München
TUM ranked 13th worldwide for interdisciplinary research
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH
NEWS RELEASE
THE Interdisciplinary Science Ranking
TUM ranked 13th worldwide for interdisciplinary research
Research can develop sustainable solutions to global problems when different disciplines contribute their knowledge and perspectives. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is particularly successful in this regard, as shown by the Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Ranking. TUM ranks 13th worldwide as the best German and second-best European university.
Interdisciplinarity at TUM is a mindset rooted in autonomy, curiosity and agility, emphasize the British magazine Times Higher Education and the US research promoter Schmidt Science Fellows in their white paper “Interdisciplinary Futures,” in which they analyze the ranking. Collaboration arises in TUM's research culture through flexible funding, shared facilities and recognition systems.
TUM has a range of subjects that is unique in the European Union, covering engineering, computer science, natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, economics and social sciences – and it makes intensive use of this potential. THE and Schmidt Science Fellows particularly highlight the TUM Innovation Networks, in which interdisciplinary teams can come together with their own initiatives for new research questions, cross-disciplinary institutes such as the Center for Organoid Systems and the integration of the social sciences.
THE and Schmidt Science Fellows also emphasize the intensive collaboration with partners, particularly with companies based on campus such as SAP and Siemens, as well as with society, politics and administration, for example in the TUM Think Tank and the Munich Cluster for the Future of Mobility in Metropolitan Regions (MCube).
TUM also teaches its students to think outside the box through project weeks, plug-in modules and numerous student clubs, in which members from different disciplines pursue research projects together.
“Optimize the scientific system in favor of interdisciplinarity”
“At TUM, we demonstrate that with the right mindset and effective incentives, intensive collaboration across disciplinary boundaries can flourish. Now we must also optimize the structures of the scientific system in favor of interdisciplinarity,” urges Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, President of TUM. “Research funding and evaluation are still too focused on narrowly defined disciplines. As a result, Germany and Europe are wasting a lot of potential.”
The Interdisciplinary Science Rankings, which covers engineering, natural sciences, life sciences and computer sciences, incorporates numerous indicators. These include the number and quality of interdisciplinary publications as well as the amount of third-party funding raised for such projects. The ranking also looks at whether universities have created facilities for interdisciplinary research teams and take multidisciplinary collaboration into account when promoting researchers. In addition, scientists are asked to rate the support for interdisciplinary teams at their universities.
Further information:
• Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Ranking 2026: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/interdisciplinary-science-rankings
• Interdisciplinary Futures: Global Approaches and Insights from the ISR 2026 (including a case study about TUM): https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/the_isr_2026_interdisciplinary_futures_whitepaper.pdf
• TUM in rankings: https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/facts-and-figures/rankings
• Research at TUM: https://www.tum.de/en/research
TUM Corporate Communications Center contact:
Klaus Becker
Media relations
Tel.: +49 89 289 22798
klaus.becker@tum.de
Die Technische Universität München (TUM) ist mit rund 700 Professuren, 53.000 Studierenden und 12.000 Mitarbeitenden eine der weltweit stärksten Universitäten in Forschung, Lehre und Innovation. Ihr Fächerspektrum umfasst Informatik, Ingenieur-, Natur- und Lebenswissenschaften, Medizin, Mathematik sowie Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften. Sie handelt als unternehmerische Universität und sieht sich als Tauschplatz des Wissens, offen für die Gesellschaft. An der TUM werden jährlich mehr als 70 Start-ups gegründet, im Hightech-Ökosystem München ist sie eine zentrale Akteurin. Weltweit ist sie mit dem Campus TUM Asia in Singapur sowie Büros in Brüssel, Mumbai, Peking, San Francisco und São Paulo vertreten. An der TUM haben Nobelpreisträger und Erfinderinnen und Erfinder wie Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde und Rudolf Mößbauer geforscht. 2006, 2012 und 2019 wurde sie als Exzellenzuniversität ausgezeichnet. In internationalen Rankings wird sie regelmäßig als beste Universität in der Europäischen Union genannt.