New Cooperation Agreement Paves the Way for the Future

Picture: Signing the new cooperation agreement of the UA Ruhr (from left): Martin Paul, Barbara Albert and Manfred Bayer. © RUB, Marquard

Immense progress in joint structures for research, teaching and transfer show how closely the three universities in the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) work together. The previous cooperation agreement no longer covered this, so the three partners TU Dortmund University, Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen have now paved the way for the future by incorporating their joint structures into a new framework cooperation agreement. This was sealed in mid-July by the Rectors Prof. Dr. Martin Paul (Bochum), Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer (Dortmund) and Rector Prof. Dr. Barbara Albert (Duisburg-Essen).

"Our science location has been sustainably strengthened by the University Alliance Ruhr since 2007. With the new agreement, we are making it clear how far we have come in recent years through close cooperation and that we are consistently continuing on the path we have taken," say Albert, Bayer and Paul. "Compared to the 2017 agreement, you can see the considerable progress we have made as the University Alliance Ruhr. Many new institutions and collaborations have been created, above all the four Research Centers and the College, which are funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia."

Pioneering progress made in recent years includes, for example:

•  the Research Alliance Ruhr, which has bundled joint cutting-edge research in four research centers and one college since 2021 and includes 50 additional professorships
•  the bundling and expansion of career development opportunities in science under the umbrella of the Research Academy. Around 10,000 young researchers now benefit from one of the most efficient and largest platforms of its kind in Germany
•  the strengthening of transfer activities in the BRYCK Startup Alliance GmbH network through the founding of UA Ruhr Transfer GmbH. The success of the three universities in the latest start-up radar of the Stifterverband encourages the partners to continue on their chosen path 
•  the three joint international offices for North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe 
•  the International Advisory Board with renowned personalities from science and science management and
•  the Council for Ethics and Responsibility

In order to shape the further development of the UA Ruhr, the cooperation agreement provides for new committees. These include:

•  the Executive Board, which replaces the previous steering committees and appoints a spokesperson to represent the UA Ruhr externally 
•  the UA Ruhr Assembly, in which the Executive Board exchanges information with delegated Senate members from the three universities in order to increase the cross-university participation of elected representatives

The Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Dr. Barbara Albert, was elected Spokesperson of the Executive Board after the agreement came into force: "The University Alliance Ruhr is a unique innovation in the higher education landscape, through which the three universities can achieve something very special as top institutions for education and research. I am delighted that we are moving the world together through science."

Rectors Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer and Prof. Dr. Martin Paul added: "The many positive developments in the University Alliance Ruhr are also an excellent basis for the joint application for excellence by Ruhr-Universität Bochum and TU Dortmund University. With the concept of an innovation laboratory for the Ruhr region - Ruhr Innovation Lab - we are building on the achievements of the University Alliance."

Contact person for queries:

Dr. Hans Stallmann
Coordinator UA Ruhr
E-Mail

Article from the University Alliance Ruhr