Funding extended for Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute – Cutting-edge research in economics enters new phase
 

The Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy of the Universities of Bonn and Cologne will be funded for another seven years. Among the principal investigators of ECONtribute are two directors of the institute: Professors Matthias Sutter and Axel Ockenfels. The renewal allows the Cluster to continue its successful research in economics and related disciplines until 2032.

With its interdisciplinary approach, the Cluster of Excellence has transcended disciplinary boundaries and strengthened cooperation between the universities of Bonn, Cologne and the Max Planck Institute since its launch in 2019. Its research, bundled under the roof of the Reinhard Selten Institute, has not only resulted in high-ranking scientific publications and numerous European Research Council Grants, but has also sparked practice-oriented projects in cooperation with companies, NGOs and schools. In addition, ECONtribute researchers have actively participated in political advisory boards and contributed expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic and the gas crisis.

With the renewal of funding, ECONtribute will continue to contribute to the international visibility of Germany as a research location. In the second funding phase, the Clusters’ researchers will increasingly focus on the conditions under which policy proposals attract support in society. ECONtribute will also focus on how economies can be made more resilient in the face of crises – and how short-run policy reactions can be aligned with long-term policy goals.