On May 31, the German Research Foundation announced that TU Dortmund University and Ruhr- University Bochum will receive a joint new Collaborative Research Center/Transregio. In addition, one CRC at RUB and two CRCs at UDE have been extended. 

Statistics for the energy transition
Within the newly approved Transregio (TRR) 391 “Spatio-temporal Statistics for the Transition of Energy and Transport”, the TU Dortmund University and the Ruhr University Bochum, together with other partners, will develop statistical methods to model and forecast data on the energy and mobility transition. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded TRR 391 funds of around 10 million euros for almost four years from October. The project was supported in advance by MERCUR as part of the Sprint funding program.

To achieve the climate goals, the use of fossil fuels both in electricity and heat production as well as in transport must be reduced. So that measures to reduce CO2 emissions meet with acceptance among the broader population, the positive aspects must outweigh any potentially negative effects – such as on employment, mobility or prosperity. That is why political decisions ought to be based – wherever possible – on sound empirical findings, and their impact on people’s everyday lives and the overall economy precisely gauged.

Innovative statistical methods
This is the starting point for the major new research project: Thanks to increasing digitalization, more and more data are available that are collected automatically in different places and at different times. To derive relevant and reliable forecasts for the energy and transport sectors from this, the researchers involved will develop innovative statistical methods for analyzing such spatio-temporal data. “The new methods and the data acquired will enable us to forecast power loads and grid faults more accurately, for example, but also allow us to contribute to a better understanding of individual energy consumption and mobility behavior. In this context, we also want to analyze the impact of environmental policy on energy prices, as well as improve logistics network planning and supply chain management,” says Professor Roland Fried from the Department of Statistics at TU Dortmund University, spokesperson for the new TRR. Later, it should also be possible to transfer the methods developed within the project to other sectors.

Interdisciplinary cooperation
Twenty-nine scientists from statistics, mathematics, computer science, econometrics, geoinformatics, logistics, electrical engineering and energy management will collaborate in the interdisciplinary TRR – including 12 researchers from TU Dortmund University from the following departments: Statistics; Electrical Engineering and Information Technology; Mechanical Engineering; Business and Economics. Apart from TU Dortmund University as the speaker university and Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen, as the third university in the University Alliance Ruhr, is also participating. Further partners are Fachhochschule Dortmund, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Universität Hamburg, the University of Münster, and RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research. Professor Holger Dette from the Faculty of Mathematics at Ruhr University Bochum is the TRR’s deputy spokesperson.

Three further CRCs at the UA Ruhr Universities extended
The existing Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 287 "Bulk Reaction", which is based at Ruhr- University Bochum and the University of Magdeburg, has been extended for a further four years. The two universities will receive a further 12 million euros for the second funding period for the joint development of energy-saving industrial processes using renewable energy sources.

• Detailed press release from RUB (in German)

At the University of Duisburg-Essen, the SFB 1242 "Non-equilibrium dynamics of condensed matter in the time domain" and the SFB/TRR 289 "Treamtent Expectation" will be extended. The UDE and its cooperation partners are thus continuing their very successful research projects in the neurosciences, behavioral sciences and physics and will receive a total of around 30 million euros over the next four years.

• Detailed press releases from UDE about CRC 1242 and CRC/TRR 289 (both in German)