State of North Rhine-Westphalia secures funding for the Research Alliance Ruhr
19/12/2024
Picture: NRW state parliament building in Düsseldorf janvier/AdobeStock
With the adoption of the 2025 budget, the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia has also approved the permanent funding of cutting-edge research in the Research Alliance Ruhr. From 2025, the three universities in Bochum, Dortmund and Duisburg-Essen will each receive additional funding of 16 million euros for their innovative cooperation in the Research Alliance Ruhr under the umbrella of the University Alliance Ruhr. This means that a total of 48 million euros per year will be available in future for the continuation and further expansion of the four research centers and the college.
The UA Ruhr has been expanding its top international research in the Research Alliance Ruhr since 2022. To this end, four cross-university research centers in the natural sciences and technology and a college in the humanities and social sciences were founded: the Research Center One Health Ruhr - from Molecules to Systems, the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability, the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security, the Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems and the College for Social Sciences and Humanities. The centers conduct research on pressing future issues such as health and the environment, sustainable chemistry, new energy systems and data security. The College promotes open-topic international scientific exchange.
Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: “In the University Alliance Ruhr, the universities are making even better use of their potential and are making a valuable contribution to North Rhine-Westphalia as a science location with appeal far beyond Germany. The Research Alliance Ruhr stands for cutting-edge international research 'made in NRW' and is therefore a model for the German higher education and science system.”
The rectors of the three universities - Professor Dr. Martin Paul (Ruhr University Bochum), Professor Dr. Manfred Bayer (TU Dortmund University) and Professor Dr. Barbara Albert (University of Duisburg-Essen) - jointly declared: “We welcome the decision to fund the Research Alliance Ruhr on a permanent basis. This will sustainably expand the top international research of the University Alliance Ruhr and secure it in the long term. Our scientists will be able to work specifically on solutions for key issues of the future. This decision is an important step for the Ruhr region as a science location and a clear commitment to promoting excellent research in North Rhine-Westphalia.”
Since its foundation, 27 top scientists have already opted for a future in the Research Alliance. In total, more than 50 new professorships will be created at Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen.
The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has already financed the start-up phase from 2022 to 2024 with around 75 million euros. The Research Alliance Ruhr emerged from an ideas competition launched by the state government at the Ruhr Conference in 2019.