The Cluster of Excellence UniCat at a Glance


Unifying Concepts in Catalysis (UniCat) is an interdisciplinary research network, and its central topic is catalysis. Our research includes the chemical conversion of methane to ethene, the chemical and enzymatic activation of carbon dioxide, the catalytic production of hydrogen from water using sunlight as the energy source, and the synthesis of active substances with the help of artificial enzymes.

Our Mission

UniCat: 4 Universities and 2 Max Planck Research Institutes in Berlin and Potsdam

We unify concepts in catalysis by bridging the gaps between homogeneous, heterogeneous and biological catalysis, ranging from elementary gas-phase reactions to complex processes in highly organized biological systems, in fundamental as well as in applied catalysis research.

Our research focuses on analyzing catalytic mechanisms, designing novel catalytic materials and strategies, and developing new catalytic processes on laboratory and mini-plant scales.

UniCat accelerates the transfer of basic research and application-orientated research into large-scale processes in industry.UniCat promotes the cross-disciplinary education of young scientists through its Graduate School BIG-NSE. By establishing a common language between PhD students of various disciplines, the different parts in UniCat become tightly interconnected.

UniCat - Research network within the German Excellence Initiative

“Unifying Concepts in Catalysis“ (UniCat) is the only catalysis Cluster of Excellence within the framework of the German Excellence Initiative.

The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Federal States aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scholars at universities, to deepen cooperation between disciplines and institutions, to strengthen international cooperation of research, and to enhance the international appeal of excellent German universities.

Since 2007, UniCat has been supported by the German Research Association with funds of up to 5.5 million euros annually from the German Excellence Initiative.