Chronicle of the University of Bayreuth
The history of the University of Bayreuth is one of success. Founded to strengthen the structurally weak region of eastern Upper Franconia near the border, it can safely be said today that it has flourished. The once small university has become a force to be reckoned with on both the national and international higher education scene.
1969
Bayreuth shortlisted as site for a new university - Recommendation of the Committee for University Foundations of the German Council of Science and Humanities
- 19 September
- Announcement of the application of the City of Bayreuth to found a university by Head Mayor Hans Walter Wild
- November
- First memorandum on the structural improvement of the borderland area of north-east Bavaria and the establishment of a University of Bayreuth
1970
- March
- Foundation of Universitätsverein (University Association)
- April
- Second memorandum of the city of Bayreuth on the establishment of a university
- May
- Proposal
for the foundation of the University in Bayreuth by the Bavarian University
Planning Commission
- Naming of Bayreuth as site for a new university by plenary assembly of the Science Council
- July
- Resolution of the Bavarian State Parliament on the foundation of the next Bavarian State University in Bayreuth
1971
- 26 July
- Constitution of the Structural Advisory Board for the University of Bayreuth (Chair: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wild)
- 23 December
- Passage of the law establishing a university in Bayreuth by the Bavarian State Parliament - in force from 1 January 1972, original capacity planned: 9,000 students upon completion of final expansion phase
1972
- January
Official establishment of the University of Bayreuth
- The office for the University of Bayreuth opens in Bayreuth
- July
- Conversion of the Bayreuth University of Education into Faculty II for Pedagogy of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
- August
- Inclusion of the University of Bayreuth in the list of higher education institutions under the Higher Education Promotion Act by the Federal Government
1973
- January
- Wolf-Peter Hentschel becomes the first Provost of the University of Bayreuth
- February
- Establishment of University Construction Management at the state building authority
- October
- Assumption of office by founding President of the University of Bayreuth, Dr. Klaus Dieter Wolff and two Vice Presidents, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wild and Prof. Dr. Walter Schmitt Glaeser
- November
- Official inauguration of founding President Dr. Klaus Dieter Wolff by the Bavarian Minister of Education Prof. Dr. Hans Maier
- December
- Start of construction of the multi-purpose science building (today: Earth Sciences I)
1974
- Start of construction of university library
- 23 March
- Laying of the foundation stone of the University of Bayreuth by Bavarian Premier Dr. h. c. Alfons Goppel
1975
- March
- Central library in temporary accommodation (Justus-Liebig-Straße)
- April
- Awarding of certificate of appointment to the first research chair at the University of Bayreuth, Prof. Dr. Dietrich von Holst
- July
- Structural Advisory Board recommends adding humanities; new department to be established by autumn 1977
- August
- Issuance of the provisional constitution of the University of Bayreuth by the Bavarian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs
- Oktober
- Incorporation of the Bayreuth Department of Educational Sciences of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg into the University of Bayreuth
- Commissioning of the Natural Sciences multi-purpose building by University Construction Management, the first newly constructed building
- Creation of the Senate
- 3 November
- Start of teaching (first lecture: Prof. Dr. Erwin Beck)
- 27 November
- Official opening of the University of Bayreuth as the seventh Bavarian state university: 22 research chairs, start of teaching in 3 departments (Mathematics and Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Geosciences, Education)
- WS 1975/76
- 632 students
1976
- April
- Opening of the Central Library Reading Room (Justus-Liebig-Straße 8)
- May
- Opening of the Wallenfels Ecological Outstation of the University of Bayreuth, the first of its kind in Bavaria
- September
- First meeting of the International Club for the University of Bayreuth - application for entry in the register of associations on 24 January 1979
- Senate resolution on the establishment of the Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies (fimt) as a central facility of the University of Bayreuth
- October
- Start of construction of the Earth Sciences II building
- November
- Start of construction of the Natural & Physical Sciences I and the Building & Grounds Maintenance buildings
- December
- Resolution
of the Senate on the establishment of four research foci:
- African Studies
- Experimental Ecology
- Macromolecular Chemistry
- Music Theatre Research
- WS 1976/77
- 28 research groups, 692 students
1977
33 full professorships, 3 senior research associates and professors, over 80 academic employees
- March
- Gräflich
Giech'sche Spitalstiftung Thurnau transfers Thurnau Castle to the University of
Bayreuth for the Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies; Institute
operations in Thurnau begin in July 1977
- June
Topping-out ceremony for Earth Sciences II
- July
- Topping-out ceremony for Building & Grounds Maintenance
- Bavarian universities master plan - revision of the expansion target to 5,000 study places by 1985
- October
Dissolution of the Department of Education Sciences and establishment of the Department of Cultural Studies
- November
- First doctorate at the University of Bayreuth: Werner Kexel (subject Mathematics)
- December
- Temporary cafeteria (Glashaus) starts operation
- Landtag
(state parliament) resolution on the establishment of Upper Franconia's
Association for Student Affairs in Bayreuth, for the University of Bayreuth and
Coburg University of Applied Sciences
- Commissioning and occupation of the Earth Sciences II building
- WS 1977/78
788 students, 5 departments (new: Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Department of Cultural Studies; dissolved: Department of Education Sciences), 15 degree programmes; Introduction: Law with additional training in economics (initially with 70 students); Diplom programmes in mathematics, physics, technical physics, biology, chemistry, geography; law; Gymnasium (grammar school) teacher training programme: Mathematics, physics, biology, geography, economics, sports; Grundschule and Hauptschule (primary and secondary modern school) teacher training course
1978
- March
- Opening of Technical Centre
- Installation of temporary law library in Kanalstraße
- April
- Opening of Earth Sciences II building
- Foundation of the Ecological-Botanical Garden
- July/
September - Start
of construction of the Humanities building (today: Law, Business &
Economics II)
- November
- Re-election
of founding President Dr. Klaus Dieter Wolff for the six-year term beginning 16
October 1979
- Establishment of the Emil Warburg Foundation
Partial opening of the Natural & Physical Sciences I building
- WS 1978/79
- 1,101 students
- Establishment of Diplom programmes in geoecology and business administration
1979
- March
- Establishment of the Business Research Centre for SME Issues (BF/M)
- November
- Start of construction of the Natural & Physical Sciences II building
- December
- Transfer of part of Plassenburg Castle in Kulmbach to the University of Bayreuth for the establishment of a geomagnetic and archaeomagnetic research area
- 72 research groups chaired out of 130 approved
- WS 1979/80
- 1,521 students
Establishment of the Diplom programme in economics
1980
- May
- Opening of the Humanities I building (today: Law, Business & Economics II)
- September
- Start of construction of the cafeteria
- WS 1980/81
- 2,022 students
- Establishment of postgraduate programme in African Studies
1981
- April
Opening of Natural & Physical Sciences I building
- November
- Opening of the "Iwalewahaus” African centre
- December
Establishment of the first DFG Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Bayreuth: SFB 137 - Principles and Strategies of Matter Turnover in Ecological Systems (until 1992)
- Establishment of the Department of Sport Science
- WS 1981/82
- 2,521 students, introduction of the two-stage legal education system
1982
Completion of the Natural & Physical Sciences I building
- April
100th Professor in Bayreuth: Prof. Dr. Andreas Remer
- September
- official start of construction of the Ecological Botanical Garden
- WS 1982/83
- 3,218 students
1983
- April
- new cafeteria building opened
- May
- Conference on Franco-German Cultural Relations for 200 Years (on the 20th Anniversary of the Élysée Treaty)
- August
- Conference of the Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies on the 100th anniversary of Richard Wagner's death
- Autumn
- Completion
of the Natural & Physical Sciences II building
- Establishment of Kontaktstelle zum Technologietransfer mit der oberfränkischen Wirtschaft (contact point for technology transfer with the Upper Franconian economy)
- WS 1983/84
- 3,960 students
1984
- Establishment
of the Bayreuth Institute for Macromolecular Research
- Opening
of the Research Centre for Social Law and Health Economics
- Establishment of the Department of History
- Establishment of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 213: Topospecific Chemistry and Toposelective Spectroscopy of Macromolecular Systems (until1995)
- Establishment of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 214: Identity in Africa - Processes of Creation and Transformation (until 1997)
- Spring
Completion of the laboratory building in the Ecological-Botanical Garden
- April
- Partial opening of the Ecological-Botanical Garden
- September
- Start of construction of the Central Library
- November
- Re-election of President Dr Klaus Dieter Wolff for the term of office from 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1991
- WS 1984/85
- 4,512 students
1985
- May
- Opening of the Research Centre for Spatial Analysis, Regional Policy and Administrative Practice in Langheim Amtshof Kulmbach
- 22-29 June
- Festival week to mark the tenth anniversary of the University of Bayreuth: "It all started with 808 students ..."
- 22 June
- First university ball as part of the tenth anniversary celebration
- September/
November - Start of construction of the University Sport building (1st phase)
- WS 1985/86
- 4,834 students
- Establishment of Diplom programme in Sport, Business & Law
1986
- Establishment
of the Bavarian Research Institute for Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics
- WS 1986/87
- 5,390 students
1987
- March
- Start of construction of the Humanities II building, 1st phase (today: Humanities I)
- May
- Completion and occupation of the Central Library and the Department of Sport Science on the campus grounds
- Establishment of a model DFG Research Training Group on "Plant-Herbivore Systems" (until 1993; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Erwin Beck)
- WS 1987/88
- 6,023 students
1988
- April
- Opening of University Sport building (1st phase)
- July
- Resolution of the Bavarian State Government on the establishment of an institute for materials research at the University of Bayreuth
- Opening of the Central Library
- August
- Start of construction of the University Sport building (2nd phase)
- 28 November
- Ceremony for the 13th anniversary of the University of Bayreuth - honorary doctorate for Prof. Dr. Hans Maier (Bavarian Minister of Education 1970-1986)
- WS 1988/89
- 6,534 students
1989
- Appointment of a women's representative
- April
- Nobel Prize winner for literature Wole Soyinka receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Bayreuth
- First Bayreuth Polymer Symposium (10-12 April 1989)
- June
- Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies cooperates with the GDR Institute of the Academy of Sciences (Project: Piper's Encyclopaedia of Music Theatre)
- November
- Basic resolution of the Senate on the establishment of a university archive
- December
- Opening of Humanities II, 1st phase (today: Humanities I)
- WS 1989/90
- 7,314 students
1990
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Groups "Intercultural Relations in Africa" (until 1999; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Gerd Spittler), "Complex manifolds" (until 1999; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Thomas Peternell), "Materials and Phenomena at Very Low Temperatures" (until 1997; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Frank Pobell, Prof. Dr. Hans F. Braun)
- May
- Groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of the Bavarian Research Institute for Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics
- Establishment of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth
- July
- Foundation of the Institute for International Communication & Foreign Cultural Exchange e.V. (IIK Bayreuth)
- 100th doctorate (Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science)
- Start of construction of the Bavarian Research Institute for Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics
- September
- Opening of Humanities II (today: Humanities I)
- Opening of the University Sport building (2nd phase)
- November
- Establishment of the Bayreuth Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (BITÖK)
- WS 1990/91
- 8,201 students
1991
- Establishment of the DFG research unit "Differential Equations in Hydrodynamics" (until 1997; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Christian G. Simader)
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Groups "Nonlinear Spectroscopy and Dynamics" (until 2000; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Dietrich Haarer), "Biosynthesis of Proteins and Regulation of their Activity" (until 2000; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Mathias Sprinzl
- Foundation of the University Symphony Orchestra
- February
- Election of Prof. Dr. Helmut Büttner as President. (Start of the six-year term of office on 1 October 1991)
- Free State of Bavaria acquires land up to the southern bypass for future expansion
- June
- Honorary doctorate awarded to Vàclav Havel, President of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic
- November
- Start of construction of the Central University Administration building
- WS 1991/92
- 8,520 students
1992
- March
- Start of construction of Auditorium Maximum
- WS 1992/93
- 8,743 students
1993
- Commissioning of further buildings of the Ecological-Botanical Garden
- WS 1993/94
- 8,921 students
1994
- January
- Opening of the Central University Administration building
- May
- Opening of the Bavarian Research Institute for Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics and Auditorium Maximum
- July
- Inauguration of Auditorium Maximum with 700 seats, the laboratory building for high-pressure research and surface physics, and the buildings of the Central University Administration and Upper Franconia's Association for Student Affairs
- WS 1994/95
- 8,717 students
1995
- January
Advisory Centre for Inventor Affairs starts work
- July
Commissioning of the International Meeting Centre and Guest House (Alexander von Humboldt House)
- Establishment of the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences (FAN) as the sixth faculty of the University of Bayreuth
Establishment of DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 279: Interplay between Order and Transport in Solids - the Mutual Influence of Order States and Transport Phenomena in Crystals, Glasses and Polymers (until 1998)
Establishment of the DFG research unit "Senescence Processes in Plants" (until 2001; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Erwin Beck)
Establishment of the DFG Research Training Group "Rural Regional Development in the Maghreb" (until 2004; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Herbert Popp)
- WS 1995/96
- 8,411 students
1996
- Establishment of DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 466: Lymphoproliferation and viral immunodeficiency; Subproject in cooperation with the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (until 2007)
- November
- Start of construction at the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences
- WS 1996/97
- 8,217 students
1997
- February
- Election of Prof. Dr. Helmut Ruppert as President, term of office: 1 October 1997 to 30 September 2003
- March
- First public tour of the Ecological-Botanical Garden
- April
- Start of construction of the Applied Natural Sciences Building - Library
- June
- Laying of the foundation stone of the Applied Natural Sciences Building
- August
- Start of construction of the University Sport building (3rd phase)
- WS 1997/98
- 7,820 students
1998
Establishment of DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 481: Complex Macromolecular and Hybrid Systems in Internal and External Fields (until 2010)
- Establishment
of the DFG Research Unit "Transport Phenomena in Superconductors and
Superfluids" (until 2001; with University of Regensburg)
Founding President of the University of Bayreuth, Dr. Klaus Dieter Wolff, is made Prof. E. h. by the Saxon Minister of State, Dr. Hans Joachim Meyer, for his services to the integration of the universities of the new federal states and to science planning in Saxony
Establishment of the Otto Warburg Foundation
- September
- Opening of the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences
- October
- Opening
of Applied Natural Sciences Building (Building B and C) and Faculty of Applied
Natural Sciences - Library
- November
- Instalment
of the first University Council according to Art. 26 BayHSchG
- December
- Opening of University Sport building (3rd phase)
Introduction of Diplom programmes in materials science and health economics (for the first time in Germany)
- WS 1998/99
- 7,724 students
1999
- March
- Exchange programme with the University of California
- November
Founding of the Bayreuth Institute for European Law & Legal Culture, expansion of the University of Bayreuth's focus areas from four to nine:
- High Pressure & High Temperature Research
- Polymer & Colloid Science
- Ecological & the Environmental Sciences
- Advanced Materials
- Molecular Biosciences
- Nonlinear Dynamics
- African Studies
- Cultural Encounters & Transcultural Processes
- Dynamics & Order: Development of
- Legal Culture and Economy
- November
- Dr Ekkehard Beck becomes the new Provost (November 1999 to July 2010)
- December
- Opening of Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences Buildings A and D
- WS 1999/2000
- Introduction of bachelor's and master's degree programmes, 7,302 students
2000
- Establishment of DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 560: Local Action in Africa in the Context of Global Influences (until 2007)
- Inauguration of the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences, start of studies
- Foundation of the North Bavarian Competence Centre for New Materials in collaboration with the University of Bayreuth
- Establishment of consultation services for start-ups and inventors
- July
- Foundation of the Bayreuth Centre for Colloids & Interfaces (BZKG)
- November
- Establishment of the Simon Nüssel Foundation
- WS 2000/01
- Introduction of the Philosophy & Economics degree programme, 7,301 students
2001
- Establishment of the DFG Research Unit "Functionality in a Tropical Montane Forest: Diversity, Dynamic Processes and Utilisation Potentials under Ecosystem Perspectives" (until 2007; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Erwin Beck)
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Group "Ecological Significance of Natural Compounds and other Signals in Insects - from Structure to Function" (until 2007; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Klaus H. Hoffmann), "Non-equilibrium Phenomena and Phase Transitions in Complex Systems" (until 2004; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Ingo Rehberg)
- April
- Relocation of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences from Geschwister-Scholl-Platz to the new building on campus (Humanities II)
- May
- Inauguration of Humanities II Building
- WS 2001/02
- 7,838 students
2002
- WS 2002/03
- 8,233 students
2003
- Establishment of the Bayreuth Centre of Ecology & Environmental Research (BayCEER) as successor of the Bayreuth Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (BITÖK)
- Establishment of the Campus Academy for career-related scientific continuing education
- Establishment of the Centre for the Promotion of Mathematics and Science Education (Z-MNU)
- March
- Inauguration of the hall laboratory for NMR spectroscopy
- June
- Re-election of President Prof. Dr. Helmut Ruppert (term: 1 October 2003 to 31 March 2009)
- December
- Broadcast of the first programme of Campus TV, a project unique in Germany
- WS 2003/04
- 9,034 students
2004
- Establishment of two postgraduate programmes in the Elite Network of Bavaria: "Structure, Reactivity and Properties of Oxide Materials" (until 2012; spokespersons: Prof. Dr. David Rubie, Prof. Dr. Hans Keppler), "Lead Structures of Cell Function" (until 2012; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Paul Rösch)
- October
- Inauguration of the laboratory building of the Bayreuth Centre for Colloids & Interfaces (BZKG) and BioMedTec, Laboratory for Drug Research
- WS 2004/05
- 9,530 students
2005
- Establishment of the DFG research unit "Dynamics of soil processes" (until 2011; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Egbert Matzner), "Nonlinear Dynamics of Complex Continua" (until 2011; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Ingo Rehberg), "Electron Transfer Processes in Anoxic Aquifers" (until 2014; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Stefan Pfeiffer)
- Discontinuation of primary school teacher training
- WS 2005/2006
- 9,487 students
2006
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Groups "Stable and Metastable Multiphase Systems for Elevated
- Service Temperatures" (until 2015; Prof. Dr. Uwe Glatzel, Prof. Dr. Mathias Göken (FAU Erlangen), "Intellectual Property and the Public Domain" (until 2015; spokespersons: Prof. Dr. Diethelm Klippel, Prof. Dr. Ansgar Ohly, Prof. Dr. Michael Grünberger)
- Establishment of the Fraunhofer Project Groups "Process Innovation" and "Ceramic Composite Structures
- March
- Groundbreaking ceremony for the Applied Computer Science building
- May
- According to the Humboldt Foundation's ranking, the University of Bayreuth is the most attractive German university for top foreign researchers in terms of the number of professors
- November
- first awarding of the "family-friendly university" certificate to the University of Bayreuth
- December
- Establishment of the Bayreuth Centre for Material Science & Engineering Centre (BayMat)
- WS 2006/07
- 9,451 students
2007
- Establishment of the DFG research units "Prioritisation in Medicine" (until 2015; with the universities of Bremen and Frankfurt a. M.), "Classification of Algebraic Surfaces and Compact Complex Manifolds" (until 2015; spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Catanese)
- April
- Establishment of the Bavarian University Centre for China (BayCHINA)
- Summer
- Start of KinderUni (Children's University)
- November
- Since 2008, the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) has been receiving support under the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments
- 22 November
- Death of Founding President Prof. E. h. Dr. Klaus Dieter Wolff
- WS 2007/08
- 9,031 students
2008
- July
- Election of Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Bormann as President, term of office from 1 April 2009 to 13 January 2013 (†)
- September
- Opening of the Tanzanian-German Centre for East African Legal Studies
- WS 2008/09
- 9,117 students
2009
- Establishment of DFG Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 840: From Particulate Nanosystems to Mesotechnology (until 2013)
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Group "Complex Terrain and Ecological Heterogeneity" (until 2013; Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. John Tenhunen)
- Establishment of the Welcome Centre for international academics
- Start of construction of the Law, Business & Economics I building (extension)
- WS 2009/2010
- 9,615 students
2010
- Establishment of the DFG Research Training Group "Photophysics of Synthetic and Biological Multichromophoric Systems" (Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Köhler)
- Establishment of a crèche on campus, advised by the Department of Sport Science
- June
- Establishment of a Research Centre for Food Quality (ForN) in Kulmbach
- December
- Start of construction of the Polymer Nanostructures building
- WS 2010/11
- 10,134 students
2011
- January
- Dr. Markus Zanner becomes the new Provost
- Laying of the foundation stone of the Natural & Physical Sciences III building
- 23 Februar
- Revocation of Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg's doctoral degree
- September
- Signing of the contract for the TechnologieAllianzOberfranken (TAO), a cooperation between the universities of Bayreuth and Bamberg and the universities of applied science in Coburg and Hof
- December
- Germany's first research centre for family business at a state university begins operations
- WS 2011/12
- 11,409 students (2011 being the double Abitur (A-levels) year in Bavaria)
2012
Creation of the Fraunhofer Centre for High-Temperature Materials & Design (HTL)
- February
- official opening of the Law, Business & Economics extension (Law, Business & Economics I)
- June
- Extension of funding for BIGSAS from the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments (2012-2017)
- September
- University of Bayreuth alumni network for China founded
- October
- Foundation of the Academy of Advanced African Studies, funding by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Approval of funding for the TechnologieAllianzOberfranken (TAO) to the tune of € 65 million from the Free State of Bavaria
- WS 2012/13
- 11,903 students
2013
- 13 January
- Death of President Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Bormann
- February
- Inauguration of the Polymer Nanostructures research building
- March
- Establishment of the University Archive in Leuschnerstrasse
- May
- Opening of the University of Bayreuth Graduate School as a service and support institution for doctoral students
- June
- Election of Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible as President, taking office on 1 July 2013
- July
- Inauguration of the Natural & Physical Sciences III building
- Renaming of the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences to the Faculty of Engineering Sciences
- Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics receives €5 million from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for three major research projects
- Tanzanian-German Centre for East African Legal Studies receives funding from the Federal Foreign Office until 2018
- TechnologieAllianzOberfranken (TAO) begins operations
- WS 2013/14
- 13,025 students
2014
- January
- Establishment of the Office of the Commissioner for Disabled Students and Students with Chronic Illnesses (BECKS)
- February
- Signing of the cooperation agreement and founding of the Bavarian Research Institute for African Studies (BRIAS)
- March
- Establishment of the Upper Franconian Science Foundation April: Opening of the extension to the cafeteria ("Frischraum")
- July
- Start of the "Bayreuther Stadtgespräche” (Bayreuth City Talks) event series
- WS 2014/2015
- 13,280 students, 147 degree programmes in 6 faculties; 1,432 academic staff, of whom 234 are professors, 880 non-academic employees
2015
- January
- Start of construction of TechnologieAllianzOberfranken (TAO) building
- Construction of the Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI) building
- 30 May
New location of the Iwalewahaus in Bayreuth city centre (corner of Wölfelstraße and Münzgasse) is officially opened.
- 18 July
Celebrations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the University with a big hands-on day on campus, DJ party by the Audimax lake, and anniversary ball at the New Palace.
Opening of the Uni Shop on campus (in the upper foyer of the main cafeteria)
- WS 2015/16
- 13,502 students
2016
- 8 April
The University of Bayreuth ceremoniously opens a gateway office on the campus of the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) in Hongkou.
- April -
October The University of Bayreuth provides scientific advice on renaturation and other diverse contributions to the programme of the State Garden Show in Bayreuth.
- Construction of the University pavilion on the Mainauen river meadows
- 8 July
University of Bayreuth becomes the first Fairtrade University in Bavaria
- 25 July
The Universities of Bayreuth, Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Würzburg sign a cooperation agreement to found the Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI).
- 2 August
- Digital Agenda 2016-2020 adopted
- October
From 2016/17 winter semester, the elite programme "MINT-Lehramt PLUS" (STEM teacher training) together with the University of Würzburg.
- 9 December
Inauguration of the former University pavilion of the State Garden Show as the Cedar House and Centre for Education for Sustainable Development on the grounds of the Ecological Botanical Garden.
- WS 2016/17
- 13,306 students, 1,374 academic staff comprising 241 professors and 927 non-academic staff
2017
- 16 February
Signing of a cooperation agreement between the Universities of Bayreuth and Bamberg to establish the Institute for Franconian Regional History. Founding Director of the Institute Prof. Martin Ott.
- 20 June
Bavarian State Cabinet decides to establish a new Faculty of Food and Health in Kulmbach.
Resolution of the Bavarian State Cabinet on the establishment of Medical Campus Upper Franconia.
- 22 July
Inaugural "UNIKAT" summer festival at the Ecological Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth.
- 23 July
- Ceremony marking 40 years of the Research Institute for Music Theatre Studies (fimt) in Thurnau
- 1 September
Start of research and continuing education project "Transfer network industrial manufacturing and process management".
- November 2017 -
April 2018 Lecture series on the reopening of the World Cultural Heritage listed Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, in cooperation with the Bavarian Administration of Gardens, Palaces and Lakes.
- WS 2017/18
- 13,454 students, 1,452 academic staff comprising 240 professors and 954 non-academic employees
2018
- 1 January
- Start of funding for the transregional Collaborative Research Centre SFB 225 "Biofabrication. From the foundations of biofabrication to functional tissue models" by the DFG. The CRC will run for a total of four years. In addition to the University of Bayreuth, the Universities of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Würzburg are also involved in the CRC
- 8 February
Establishment of the Northern Bavarian NMR Centre
- 26 March
Prof.-Rüdiger-Bormann-Straße is inaugurated on the southern campus of the University.
- 6 May
Celebrations and opening of the anniversary exhibition on 40 years of the Ecological Botanical Garden (ÖBG) at the University of Bayreuth. Other special events took place this year as part of the ÖBG’s anniversary.
- 26 June
The University of Bayreuth opens its Gateway Office on the premises of the Australian-German Energy Transition Hub of the University of Melbourne.
- July
The Bavarian State Government approves spending plans for the new Faculty VII in Kulmbach amounting to € 136 million over five years.
- 6 September
Opening of the Bavarian Centre for Battery Technology (BayBatt).
- 26 November
Announcement by the DFG that a new Collaborative Research Centre is to be established at the University of Bayreuth. The planned SFB 1357 will research the effects of microplastics as well as their migration and formation. The CRC will run for a total of four years and will be funded by the DFG to the tune of € 10 million.
- 10 December
Foundation of the Bavarian Climate Research Network bayklif with the participation of the University of Bayreuth. The Bayreuth Centre of Ecology & Environmental Research (BayCEER) is involved through the joint project AquaKlif. Overall, the joint project runs from 2018-2023 and deals with the influence of multiple stressors on flowing waters amid climate change. The network is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts.
- WS 2018/19
- 13,497 students, 1,497 scientific employees, comprising 238 professors and 965 non-scientific employees.
2019
Foundation of the Alexander von Humboldt Centre of International Excellence (for short: Bayreuth Humboldt Centre)
- 1 January
The Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple" begins its work at the University of Bayreuth.
- 31 January
In a joint meeting of the University Council and the Senate of the University of Bayreuth, Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible is re-elected University President by clear majority.
- 29 March
Opening of Faculty VII of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition & Health of the University of Bayreuth on the Kulmbach Campus. Prof. Dr. Stephan Clemens is Founding Dean of the new faculty.
- 1 July
Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible begins his second term as University President.
- 18 December
Opening of DigiLLab at the Centre for Teacher Education.
- WS 2019/20
- 13,329 students, 1,572 academic employees, comprising 240 professors and 989 non-academic employees
2020
- 11 March
Classroom teaching at the University of Bayreuth is discontinued due to the pandemic.
- Summer 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 summer semester is for the first time held exclusively in online form for all degree programmes.
- July
Opening of the Gateway Office at the Université de Bordeaux.
- 29 September
Ground-breaking ceremony for the Medical Campus Upper Franconia at Bayreuth Hospital
- 2 November
Postponed start to the 2020/21 winter semester. At the same time, a coronavirus test station begins operation on the campus grounds.
Start of the interdisciplinary master's programme "Food Quality & Safety" (M.Sc.), which is unique in Germany, together with the start of lectures at the newly created Faculty VII of the University of Bayreuth.
Opening of the "Language Lounge" of the Sprachenzentrum of the University of Bayreuth.
- 26 November
Celebration of the 45th birthday of the University of Bayreuth with a virtual festive event.
- 1 December
Changeover to purely online teaching by the end of the semester in accordance with the Federal Government/States decision of 25 November 2020.
- 7 December
Temporary closure of the coronavirus test station.
- 15 December
Foundation of the Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Bayreuth.
- 31 December
Provost Dr Markus Zanner moves from the University of Bayreuth to the Technical University of Nuremberg, which is currently being established, as Founding Provost.
- WS 2020/21
- 13,333 students, 1,651 academic staff comprising 257 professors and 1,021 non-academic staff
2021
- 28 January
Sustainability strategy of the University of Bayreuth adopted in the University Council.
- March
The coronavirus test station on the campus of the University of Bayreuth, which has been closed since 7 December 2020, is dismantled at the end of March 2021.
- 12 April
Official start of lectures at the University of Bayreuth. As of 23.04, all lectures are to be held in virtual form, according to notification by the University Governing Board.
- 15 April
Dr. Nicole Kaiser is appointed as new Provost of the University of Bayreuth. This is the first time a woman has headed the University Governing Board.
- 15 June
Digital Agenda 2021-2025 adopted.
July -
December / February
2022Participation in the year of celebration of "1700 years of Jewish life in Germany", together with the city of Bayreuth and the Jewish Community of Bayreuth, with a variety of events and activities.
- 1 July
Start of the German-Austrian joint project "MicroplasticATfood". Funding on the German side from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy totalling € 542,000, of which €275,000 goes to the University of Bayreuth.
12 July
The Botanical Garden (ÖBG) of the University of Bayreuth is awarded the quality seal "Environmental Education.Bavaria" by the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection. This is in recognition of the ÖBG's projects and educational offers on sustainable development.
- 2 August
Through a cooperation with the Maltesers, employees of the University of Bayreuth have the opportunity to be vaccinated for coronavirus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Humanities I (GW I) building on campus. 73 people take up the offer. Another vaccination campaign to take place on 30 August, which is also open to people from outside the University.
1 October
Move into the first laboratory rooms of the "Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health" (Faculty VII) of the University of Bayreuth in the Fritz shopping centre in Kulmbach. The new interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree programme "Food and Health Sciences" (B.Sc.) at Faculty VII at the Kulmbach campus and the new Master's programmes "Digitalisation & Entrepreneurship" (M.Sc.) and "Environmental and Resource Technology" (M.Sc.) will start in the winter semester 2021/22.
1. December
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), Erlangen University Hospital, Klinikum Bayreuth GmbH and the University of Bayreuth sign the cooperation agreement for the Upper Franconia Medical Campus in Bavaria in the presence of Bavarian Science Minister Bernd Sibler.
2022
24 February
Troops of the Russian Federation invade Ukraine. The University of Bayreuth is dismayed by Russia's war of aggression, which violates international law, and declares its solidarity in particular with its Ukrainian students and the academics of its Ukrainian partner universities (Yurii Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, National Ivan Franco University Lviv, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukrainian Catholic University).
1 March
In response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as a result of the Russian war of aggression, a collection campaign is being launched on the Bayreuth campus: donations in kind can be handed in at the Glass House, and these will be transported to the border regions of Ukraine in vehicles provided by Bayreuth companies. This aid project was started by an initiative of Ukrainian students and the academic staff member Nicolai Teufel (Advanced Training Centre for University Teaching). The University of Bayreuth supports the project and is helping to set up an aid network.
18 May
The Senegalese sociologist and activist Dr Fatou Sow has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bayreuth. The Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), the international graduate school of the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple" at the University of Bayreuth, had nominated her for this honour. Dr Fatou Sow is one of the first Africans to receive an honorary doctorate in Germany.
21 May
The new TechnologieAllianzOberfranken (TAO) building is officially opened. The Bavarian Minister of Science, Markus Blume, paid a visit. In the afternoon, the public was able to get an idea of the new building.
13 July
The Budget Committee of the Bavarian State Parliament has set the course for two important construction projects at the University of Bayreuth: According to current plans, construction preparations for the "Research Centre Society, Technology and Ecology in Africa" (FZA ) can begin as early as September 2022, and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will start in October 2024.
August
At the University of Bayreuth (UBT), three fellowships from the UBT's specially founded Bayreuth Bridge for Science and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Philipp Schwartz Initiative were awarded to Ukrainian female researchers.
23 August
University of Bayreuth and four African universities continue forward-looking cooperation in the Cluster of Excellence
1 October
In addition to the afriZert supplementary programme, several degree programmes dealing with sustainability topics will start in the winter semester 2022/23: In addition to the Bachelor of Sustainable Chemistry and Energy (B.Sc.), the Master's programmes Battery Technology (M.Sc.), Environment, Climate Change and Health (M.Sc.) and Battery Materials and Technology (M.Sc.) will begin.