University of Erfurt

What University of Erfurt does

The University of Erfurt is a public research university located in Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany, operating as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (public law corporation) under the supervision of the Thüringer Ministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur. The modern institution was re-established in 1994 with roots tracing to a medieval predecessor founded in 1379; it comprises four faculties (Educational Sciences, Catholic Theology, Philosophy, and Economics/Law/Social Sciences) plus the interdisciplinary Max-Weber-Kolleg as an Institute for Advanced Study. The university offers degree programs from Bachelor through doctoral levels, including teacher training (Lehramt), Magister Theologiae, and lifelong learning offerings, serving prospective and enrolled students primarily from Germany with international cohorts via Erasmus+ and bilateral exchange agreements.

Research and academic operations are anchored by specialized infrastructure including the ErfurtLab (a 400+ square meter behavioral research facility with 15 rooms, eye tracking, heart rate and skin resistance measurement instrumentation, and capacity for over 40 simultaneous participants), the Forschungsbau 'Weltbeziehungen' research building (4,000 sqm, approximately 170 workstations, inaugurated October 18, 2023, with €20 million total construction cost), and the Gotha Research Library/Centre and Perthes Collection. Digital operations rely on standard academic platforms: Moodle (LMS), E.L.V.I.S. (library), HISinOne (student information), WISEflow (examinations), z-Tree (experimental economics software), thoska (student ID cards), and Docata (doctoral administration). Research emphasis centers on cultural comparative analysis, sustainability, planetary health behavior, education, and public policy.

As a publicly funded institution, the University of Erfurt derives its operating budget from State of Thuringia appropriations, federal research funding (BMBF, DFG), and third-party grants rather than commercial revenue; tuition is not commercially priced and pricing for programs is not publicly disclosed. Student enrollment flows through centralized German higher education admission systems for domestic students and through Erasmus+/bilateral partnerships for international students, with no named enterprise customers or commercial contracts in the source data. Key research institutes include the Max-Weber-Kolleg, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour (established 2022), Erfurt School of Education, and Gotha Research Library and Centre. The university is led by President Prof. Dr. Walter Bauer-Wabnegg and Chancellor Jan Gerken.

Name

University of Erfurt

Legal name

Universität Erfurt

Website

https://uni-erfurt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The University of Erfurt is a publicly funded German research university in Thuringia, offering degree programs across four faculties plus the Max-Weber-Kolleg, supported by the ErfurtLab behavioral research facility, the Gotha Research Library, and the 2023-inaugurated 'Weltbeziehungen' research building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Graduate Schools of Education (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.) (EDAHAFAB)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Academic degree programs
• University research services
• Doctoral training programs
• Behavioral research facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Erfurt-bindersleben

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The University of Erfurt is a German public university that delivers higher education and academic research services across four faculties (Education, Catholic Theology, Philosophy, and Economics/Law/Social Sciences) plus the Max-Weber-Kolleg. It offers Bachelor, Master, teacher training (Lehramt), Magister Theologiae, Doctoral, and Lifelong Learning programs, supported by research infrastructure including the ErfurtLab, Gotha Research Library, and the newly constructed Forschungsbau 'Weltbeziehungen'.

Product overview

The University of Erfurt is a public university offering comprehensive academic degree programs across four faculties (Educational Sciences, Catholic Theology, Philosophy, and Economics/Law/Social Sciences) plus the Max-Weber-Kolleg. The institution operates research facilities including the ErfurtLab (empirical research laboratory with Lab West, Center, and East), KEEP-Panel (child development research), and EFOSI (Open Science Initiative). Key research institutes include the Max-Weber-Kolleg, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour, and the Gotha Research Library/Centre. The university supports doctoral candidates through Docata, Promotionsinfotage, and the biennial Promotionspreis (3,000 euros). Science communication is delivered via the WortMelder research blog/podcast and the annual Erfurter Science Slam competition. Digital infrastructure includes Moodle LMS, E.L.V.I.S. library system, HISinOne student information system, and thoska student cards. Research funding programs (Projektförderung and Strukturförderung) support researchers at all career stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Erfurter Science Slam: Annual scientific presentation competition where researchers present their work in an entertaining manner to a general audience, competing for a trophy.
• Promotionspreis
• Tag der Promotion / Graduiertentag
• Forschungsblog WortMelder
• Wissenschaftspodcast WortMelder

Products and services

• Academic Study Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• The IPB (Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour) won the 'Bestes Forschungsumfeld 2026' prize awarded by Die Junge Akademie and VolkswagenStiftung on June 27, 2026.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Die Junge AkademiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2026Die Junge Akademie (The Young Academy), established by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), partnered with VolkswagenStiftung to award the 'Bestes Forschungsumfeld 2026' prize. The University of Erfurt's Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour (IPB) was among the five winning teams.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Universität Passau: Mid-sized public research university with similar humanities/law-economics focus and teacher-training scale, sharing the same German public-university funding and accountability regime.
• Universität Leipzig: Comprehensive public research university with a parallel humanities/social-sciences and teacher-training emphasis, sharing the German public-university funding regime and competing for the same student and DFG grant pool.
• Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf: Mid-sized German public research university of comparable scale with parallel faculty structure, sharing recruitment pools for doctoral candidates and competing for third-party research funding.
• Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder): Re-established German public university of similar modern vintage with comparable humanities/social-science focus and similar dependency on state funding in eastern Germany.
• Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg: Mid-sized eastern German public research university with a similarly humanities-and-education-oriented portfolio and shared reliance on state appropriations and DFG funding.
• Universität Trier: German public research university similar in size and humanities/social-science focus, comparable teacher-training scale, and similar dependence on federal-state funding mechanisms.

Regional players

• Technische Universität Ilmenau: Second Thuringian public university; technical profile but competes for the same state-level funding, faculty talent, and prospective students in central Germany.
• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: Thuringian neighbor public university with overlapping scale and humanities/media profile, sharing regional political oversight and competing for cross-faculty research students and visiting scholars.
• Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena: Closest Thuringian peer; public research university of comparable scale also rooted in humanities and social sciences, with overlapping federal/state funding dynamics and faculty recruitment competition.

Broad incumbents

• Georg-August-Universität Göttingen: Larger and more established German public research university with broader portfolio; competes with U Erfurt in DFG humanities/social-science grant capture and doctoral recruitment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniErfurt
• Facebookfacebook.com/wissen.sammeln.gotha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-erfurt
• Instagraminstagram.com/unierfurt
• Xx.com/uni_ef

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Erfurt