Professors at German universities attracted an average of €325,400 each in third-party funding in 2024, a decrease of €6,800 from the previous year. The annual decline amounted to 2.1%.

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, reported the figures on Monday, September 28. Excluding medical facilities and health sciences, RWTH Aachen topped the institutional ranking with €1.16 million per professorship, ahead of the Technical University of Munich at €891,100 and the University of Stuttgart at €860,500.

The Technical University of Munich raised the largest overall amount, securing €436 million. RWTH Aachen followed with €403 million, while TU Dresden ranked third with €296 million. Such external funds are mainly obtained for specific research projects or fields.

Engineering recorded the highest average among subject groups at €715,600 per professor, narrowly above medicine and health sciences at €707,400. Universities of applied sciences averaged €53,300 per professor, compared with €23,800 at colleges of art.