University of Ulm

What University of Ulm does

Universität Ulm is a public research university located on the Oberer Eselsberg in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, founded in 1967 and enrolling approximately 10,101 students across four faculties (Engineering/Computer Science/Psychology, Mathematics/Economics, Medicine, and Natural Sciences). The university's research and teaching portfolio is organized around four interdisciplinary priority areas: the Green Energy Campus (anchoring Germany's only post-lithium battery excellence cluster, POLiS), Quantum Science and Technology (encompassing the Q1 on-premises quantum computer, a quantum communication testbed operated with IBM Quantum, and the SPINNING diamond spin-photon quantum computer project), Life Long Health (clinical psychology, telemedicine, and biomedical research), and From Data to Knowledge (data science and AI, including an M.Sc. in Künstliche Intelligenz). It operates the UniQuant research center jointly with the Universities of Tübingen and Stuttgart and runs more than 60 bachelor and master study programmes.

The institution is funded primarily by the state of Baden-Württemberg as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts, supplemented by competitive third-party grants. Third-party funding (Drittmittel) reached approximately €127 million in 2023, representing roughly 35% of the institutional budget, implying a total annual operating budget in the order of €360 million. The customer base is bifurcated: degree-seeking students form the primary, highly distributed demand segment, while a secondary base of industry and public research partners (notably Robert Bosch, DLR, IBM Quantum, and Qualcomm) drives collaborative R&D, contract research, and technology transfer. Commercialization is mediated through the Entrepreneurs Campus (launched 2024 and planned to evolve into a Technology Transfer Office) and the NXTGN Startup Factory.

Flagship programmes include POLiS (post-lithium battery storage), SPINNING (10-to-100+ qubit diamond spin-photon quantum processor, 2022–2025, BMBF-funded), Chem4Quant (joint Excellence Strategy cluster with KIT and University of Stuttgart, advanced to full proposal in February 2024), KoRaTo (DFG Research Training Group GRK 2680, extended into a second phase in 2026), and the MWT Institute of Microwave Engineering. The university is also undertaking a significant physical infrastructure programme, including the planned renovation of building O25 and construction of a 1,000 m² replacement lecture hall center (approximately €14.4 million) starting in 2026. A planned presidential transition on 1 October 2026 will see biochemist Michael Kühl succeed Michael Weber, with stated priorities including AI curriculum integration and a new Pharmacy degree.

Name

University of Ulm

Legal name

Universität Ulm

Website

https://uni-ulm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Universität Ulm is a German public research university in Baden-Württemberg with approximately 10,101 students across four faculties, specializing in Green Energy, Quantum Technologies, Life Long Health, and Data Science, and generating roughly €127 million in third-party funding in 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research University

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Public research university
• STEM higher education
• Quantum computing research
• Battery storage research
• Medical life sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The University of Ulm is a public German research university that delivers higher education (bachelor, master, and doctoral programmes across four faculties) and conducts fundamental and applied research organised around four interdisciplinary priority areas: Green Energy, Quantum Technologies, Life Long Health, and Data Science. It also provides collaborative research services and technology transfer to industry and public research partners, supported by state funding and third-party grants.

Product overview

University of Ulm is a research-intensive public university organized as a portfolio of four central research focus areas — Green Energy Campus, Quantum Science and Technology, Life Long Health, and From Data to Knowledge — together with four faculties (Engineering/Computer Science/Psychology, Mathematics/Economics, Medicine, Natural Sciences) offering more than 60 bachelor and master study programmes such as the M.Sc. Künstliche Intelligenz, M.Sc. Quantum Engineering, and M.Sc. Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie. Major named product/initiative modules include the POLiS Cluster of Excellence for battery research, the KoRaTo graduate training group for drone-based radar Earth observation, the SPINNING diamond spin-photon quantum computer demonstrator, the Chem4Quant cluster initiative, the SURE-FIT telemedicine fall prevention trial, the Institute of Microwave Engineering (MWT) radar programme, the Entrepreneurs Campus for startup support, the ProTrainU Nachwuchsakademie for early-career researchers, and the Teddyklinik community outreach programme. These programmes and institutes are interconnected: research excellence (POLiS, SPINNING, KoRaTo) feeds into teaching (M.Sc. AI, M.Sc. Quantum Engineering), the Entrepreneurs Campus commercializes outputs, and ProTrainU develops the underlying talent pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Energy Campus Central interdisciplinary research focus area concentrating on sustainable energy research, hosting Germany's only excellence cluster for battery research (POLiS) and advancing next-generation storage technologies and green hydrogen production.
• Quantum Science and Technology A leading research focus area where researchers work on understanding, controlling, and applying quantum systems. Encompasses the IQST center, the SPINNING diamond spin-photon quantum computer project, and the Chem4Quant cluster initiative.
• Life Long Health Research focus area covering health across the life span, including microbiota-driven intestinal regeneration, leukemia protection mechanisms, obesity therapy guidelines, and the SURE-FIT telemedicine-based fall prevention trial.
• From Data to Knowledge Interdisciplinary research focus on data science and artificial intelligence, supporting the M.Sc. Künstliche Intelligenz (AI) and Mathematical Data Science programmes, Psychological Data Science profile, and machine learning methods across disciplines.
• Entrepreneurs Campus Central contact point for foundations, innovation, and IP management at Ulm University. Offers startup consulting, EXIST program support, IP management, and entrepreneurship education, planned to evolve into a Technology Transfer Office.
• M.Sc. Künstliche Intelligenz (Artificial Intelligence) English/German master programme of the Faculty of Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology, providing deep training in artificial intelligence methods, data science, and machine learning as part of the 'From Data to Knowledge' focus.
• M.Sc. Quantum Engineering New master study programme introduced in 2024 as part of Ulm's quantum research focus, training engineers in quantum technologies and systems.
• M.Sc. Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie Master study programme introduced in 2024 to address demand in clinical psychology training in Germany, part of the Life Long Health focus area.
• B.Sc. Biomedizinische Technik New bachelor study programme introduced in 2024, expanding the academic offering in biomedical technology at Ulm University.
• SPINNING Quantum Computer Demonstrator Project BMBF-funded project coordinated by Fraunhofer IAF with six universities, two non-profit institutions, and five industrial partners. Builds a 'made in Germany' diamond-based spin-photon quantum processor, scaling from 10 to 100+ qubits with low cooling requirements and small error rates.
• KoRaTo Graduate Research Training Group (GRK 2680) DFG-funded joint graduate school of Ulm University and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, developing cooperative radar aperture synthesis for high-resolution drone-based tomographic Earth observation of glaciers, snow, and vegetation.
• SURE-FIT Telemedicine Fall Prevention Trial Pragmatic randomized controlled trial enrolling approximately 2,778 participants aged 65+ across Germany, comparing conventional center-based fall prevention exercise training with a tablet-supported hybrid telemedicine approach.
• ProTrainU Nachwuchsakademie Graduate & Professional Training Center Ulm providing start-up funding (€30,000 Anschubfinanzierung), the Young Researchers' Science Day (€50,000 / €30,000 prizes), Hochschuldidaktik certificates, and career development for early-career researchers.
• Institute of Microwave Engineering (MWT) Radar Research Institute led by Prof. Christian Waldschmidt focusing on radar and RF-sensing for automotive, UAV, and industrial applications, mm-wave/submillimeter-wave engineering, antenna arrays, and RF signal processing. Includes online databases such as the Traffic Gesture Dataset and Driving Maneuvers of two Automobiles.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• IBM QuantumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversität Ulm operates the Q1 quantum computer and a quantum communication testbed as part of its quantum research portfolio. The partnership with IBM Quantum provides access to quantum computing infrastructure and expertise. The collaboration supports both research and teaching activities.
• University of Tübingen (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in the UniQuant research center, a regional quantum research cluster co-established by the Universities of Ulm, Tübingen and Stuttgart. The collaboration covers joint quantum research activities and shared research infrastructure.
• University of Stuttgart (Universität Stuttgart)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder partner of the UniQuant research center alongside the Universities of Ulm and Tübingen. The partnership supports joint quantum research and shared infrastructure across the three institutions.
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner of Universität Ulm on joint projects. DLR is Germany's national aeronautics and space research center and engages with the university on research activities.
• Robert Bosch GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner collaborating with Universität Ulm on research activities. The partnership connects academic research with industrial application.
• QualcommminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as an industry/corporate partner of the University of Ulm in news sources. The nature and scope of the partnership are not detailed in the available source material.
• University of NottinghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as an academic partner of the University of Ulm in news sources. The nature and scope of the collaboration are not detailed in the available source material.
• University of BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as an academic partner of the University of Ulm in news sources. The nature and scope of the collaboration are not detailed in the available source material.
• Diamond Light SourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a research partner of the University of Ulm in news sources. Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron facility. The nature and scope of the collaboration are not detailed in the available source material.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• ETH Zurich: Europe's leading STEM university, based in Switzerland. ETH operates across the same quantum, energy, AI, and life-sciences focus areas as Ulm and represents the top European benchmark for research output and industry funding per researcher.
• Heidelberg University: Another Baden-Württemberg state research university with strong medical and life-sciences research. While focused on different core strengths, Heidelberg competes for state funding and regional talent, particularly within Ulm's Life Long Health and medicine priority areas.

Others

• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied research organisation and direct partner via SPINNING (coordinated by Fraunhofer IAF). Fraunhofer is an enabling ecosystem participant, providing applied-research infrastructure and industry channels that complement Ulm's fundamental research.

Broad incumbents

• Max Planck Society: Germany's leading fundamental research organisation operating institutes alongside universities. Max Planck competes with Ulm for top faculty and DFG/BMBF funding across quantum, life sciences, and materials research.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM): Germany's leading technical university and the largest natural-sciences/engineering institution. TUM operates across all of Ulm's four focus areas at significantly larger scale, making it the dominant incumbent competitor for talent, grants, and industry partnerships in Germany.
• RWTH Aachen University: One of Germany's largest technical universities with deep industry partnerships in automotive, energy, and engineering. RWTH competes with Ulm for BMBF excellence funding and doctoral talent, particularly through DFG-funded research training groups.

Direct peers

• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): Germany's largest research university and joint applicant with Ulm in the Chem4Quant Excellence cluster. KIT competes head-to-head for DFG/BMBF funding in quantum, energy, and AI, and represents the most direct comparable in terms of research focus and federal grant scale.
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU): Joint partner with Ulm in the DFG-funded KoRaTo GRK 2680 graduate school (radar tomography). FAU's strong engineering and microwave research overlap directly with Ulm's Institute of Microwave Engineering, making it a direct collaborative peer.
• University of Stuttgart: Co-founder of the UniQuant research center alongside Ulm and Tübingen, and joint applicant in the Chem4Quant cluster. Stuttgart's strong engineering and quantum photonics research make it a directly comparable technical university with overlapping quantum and engineering priorities.
• University of Tübingen: Third co-founder of the UniQuant quantum research cluster with Ulm and Stuttgart. Tübingen complements Ulm with stronger life-sciences and clinical research, making it a regional peer with overlapping quantum priorities and complementary biomedical strength.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uulm
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniUlm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-ulm
• Instagraminstagram.com/universitaetulm
• Xx.com/kizuulm

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Ulm