Research Alliance Ruhr
Top international research on pressing issues of the future - this is what the University Alliance Ruhr has been working on in four research centres and one college since 2021. The initiative of the Ruhr Conference is a testament to the Ruhr area’s transformation into a vibrant metropolis of knowledge. Unprecedented career opportunities are unfolding here and now for excellent scientists and scholars from all over the world.
News from the Research Alliance Ruhr
Successful Development of the Research Alliance Ruhr: 27 Professors Already Appointed
News from materials science: Surprise at the grain boundary
PostdocLab groups at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities start work on projects
Cutting-edge Research under one Umbrella
The UA Ruhr pools its internationally renowned research on pressing future issues under the umbrella of the Research Alliance Ruhr. With four research centers and the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, the Research Alliance sets new standards for interdisciplinary and internationally competitive top-level research. This unique research environment attracts leading scientists from around the world.
Support from the NRW State Government
The Research Alliance was launched as part of the Ruhr Conference and received 123 million euros in funding from the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia during the build-up phase. This support underlines the confidence in the immense potential of the research location. Germany's largest metropolitan region is thus becoming a driver of innovation for the world of tomorrow.
Four research centers and one college
At the heart of the Research Alliance are four Research Centers and one College, which are working together to develop answers to key questions about the future. The Research Centers focus on the topics of health, sustainability, digitalization and the energy transition. The College promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and international networking in the humanities and social sciences. All five institutions build on the joint strengths of the three partner universities. In total, more than 50 new research professorships are being created within the centers and the college. More than half of these positions have already been filled with internationally renowned academics during the build-up phase, including two associated with Humboldt Professorships.
Research Center One Health Ruhr
The Research Center One Health Ruhr deals with the fundamental mechanisms of health and illness – from the molecular level to the higher-level system. Leading researchers from molecular biology and water research, molecular cancer research and neuroscience collaborate in an interdisciplinary manner here. The researchers’ mission is to develop a landmark project on the topic of health and its significance for humans and the environment as well as the interconnectedness of all three that can serve as an example internationally.
Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability
The Chemical Sciences and Sustainability research center is the pacemaker for pioneering research into the understanding of chemical reactions, processes and products at the molecular level. The focus is on innovative, eco-friendly and commercially competitive technological applications in various areas of chemistry – from building materials through to pharmaceuticals.
Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security
How can trustworthy intelligent systems in security-relevant applications be designed? This is what the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security explores. A unique, human-centered research approach covers the entire interdisciplinary research spectrum of trustworthy data analytics, explainable machine learning and privacy-aware algorithms.
Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems
Finding sustainable materials for the energy applications of the future is the objective of the Future Energy Materials and Systems research center. Its focus is on exploring fundamental properties and processes relevant to the production and application of complex materials. The aim is to create key components for a sustainable energy system and, at the same time, to replace energy-intensive procedures for producing and processing materials with regenerative approaches.
College for Social Sciences and Humanities
The College for Social Sciences and Humanities promotes excellence in research in the social sciences and humanities of the UA Ruhr and advances international cooperation. It provides opportunities for innovative research projects and facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. Its cornerstones are research professorships, research groups, and an international Senior Fellowship Programme that offers advanced international scholars research fellowships at the UA Ruhr.
Coordination Office
Jürgen Hein
Managing Director
Tel.: 0234 3223387
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Julia Rüdel
Project Manager
Tel.: +49 151 25754362
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Kerstin Mork
Communications
Tel.: +49 170 8340859
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Anna Ackermann-Schrills
Team Assistant
Tel.: 0234 32 29424
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The Research Alliance in the media
FAS: Stronger research network
WDR5 Quarks: Cutting-edge research made in the Ruhr region (from min. 01:09:20)
Deutschlandfunk: Desire for international visibility
WAZ: Cutting-edge research in the Ruhr region - From here into the future
RVR-Magazin: Metropole Ruhr - The future in view
Times Higher Education: Can Academia Revive Germany's Rust Belt?
WAZ: 75 million euros for cutting-edge research in the Ruhr region
WAZ: How the Ruhr region can become a world leader in research
Speeches at the signing of the cooperation agreement (Stream of the NRW State Chancellery on X)