The University of Ulm was founded as a university of medicine and natural sciences in 1967. It is the newest university in Baden-Wuerttemberg and an important link to the research-oriented Science City of Ulm. There are currently around 7.200 students at the University, spread out over four faculties.
The University of Ulm is chronologically the ninth in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The first ideas of founding a university in Ulm go back to the 50's. In 1959, the research group "University of Ulm" was formed, which produced a memorandum on founding a university in March of 1961. Due to competition between the cities of Constance and Ulm in the early stages, the idea of establishing a university in each of the two cities gained popularity. A critical factor leading to this decision was the fact that Constance is situated near a federal border. The opportunities for employment in the field of medicine would not be sufficient due to the lack of a patient catchment area at the border. The idea of founding a university in Ulm therefore became more concrete - it would be a university shaped by medicine and natural sciences.
In July of 1965, the foundation committee submitted its "Memorandum on a College of Medicine and Natural Sciences in Ulm," which was approved by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg's council of ministers in January 1966. Just two months later, the "Interim Constitution of the Ulm College of Medicine and Natural Sciences" came into effect.
Full universities based on the model of the traditional Universitas litterarum were no longer feasible in the new university founding phase, in which the University of Ulm was established. Full universities were replaced by selective subject spectra and in Ulm it became clear that the original idea of a full university would have to be given up as well. The label "College of Medicine and Natural Sciences" suggests the focus of the school; it remained a characteristic part of the name after 4 July 1967, when the new establishment was granted the designation of "university." The original spectrum of disciplines has since been expanded many times over. At present, the University of Ulm's profile is characterised by the fields of Natural Sciences; Engineering and Computer Science; Mathematics and Economics and Medicine.
Foundation of the University of Ulm on 25 February 1967
Under one roof...
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Medicine - that is how the original subject spread looked, although it was never considered closed. The founding fathers explicitly ascribed their creation the character of a research university. Their design called for the uniting of subjects "under one roof." This is to be taken literally, i.e. building-wise, and is also meant to encourage contact among the individual subject areas and promote the interdisciplinary character of research. This idea has been retained over the years and decades. The research touch of the "university under one roof" has been maintained. It has been adopted in the politics of hiring lecturers and professors as well. The faculties have always made sure that, wherever possible, there is overlap in the central work areas of the new lecturers and of those who are already working for the University. Research concentrations and a series of Collaborate Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereiche - SFBs) through the German Research Foundation have been established at the University of Ulm over the years on the grounds of this idea.
