In total, the University Alliance Ruhr submits four full proposals for Clusters of Excellence.

Ruhr University Bochum has submitted renewal proposals for the two Clusters of Excellence “Ruhr Explores Solvation – RESOLV”, as a joint cluster with the TU Dortmund University, and “Securing the Digital Society – CASA”. The University of Duisburg-Essen submitted a proposal for the water research initiative REASONS, short for “River Ecosystems in the Anthroposcene – sustainable scientific SOlutioNS”; scientists from Bochum are also involved. The Technical University of Dortmund is co-applicant of the new initiative “Color Meets Flavor” from particle physics, in collaboration with the Universities of Bonn and Siegen.

The existing clusters: RESOLV and CASA
In RESOLV, scientists from Ruhr- University Bochum and TU Dortmund University are researching the role of solvents in chemical reactions with the participation of colleagues from the University of Duisburg-Essen. The Cluster of Excellence, which has been in existence since 2012, is now competing for the third time. “The interdisciplinary collaboration enables cutting-edge research that is internationally competitive,” says TU Rector Prof. Manfred Bayer.

CASA has been funded at Ruhr University Bochum since 2019 as part of the Excellence Strategy. Within CASA, innovative and holistic IT security solutions are being researched that contribute to the protection and resilience of our digital society. “We are keeping our fingers crossed for all applicants from RUB and our partners in the University Alliance Ruhr,” says RUB Rector Prof. Dr. Martin Paul.

The new cluster initiatives: REASONS and “Color meets Flavor”
REASONS focusses on water bodies in environments shaped by humans. Rising temperatures, antibiotic residues, droughts and floods: rivers are coming under pressure worldwide. In order to make them fit for the future, researchers from the REASONS Cluster of Excellence initiative are developing a new, sustainable concept for the management of water bodies. ‘The strength and reputation of our scientists in the field of water research is unique, and they have gained further - nationally and internationally - outstanding experts to put together their research team for the excellence competition,’ says the Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof Dr Barbara Albert. ‘I am so pleased about this because the topic is very special and important. If there were no new solutions from our cutting-edge research to optimise waterways and ecosystems in the Anthropocene, i.e. the human-dominated age, then the inestimable value of science would not be fully exploited.’

In the new project “Color meets Flavor”, TU physicists want to search for new phenomena in the interaction of elementary particles in collaboration with the universities of Bonn and Siegen.

Good conditions for the UA Ruhr
The deadline for submission was August 22, 2024. The decision will be announced on May 22, 2025. The decision will have a major impact on all three universities in the University Alliance Ruhr with its four proposed research clusters. The conditions are good, as the top scientists will benefit with their cluster applications from the excellent cooperation and structures within the University Alliance Ruhr and the support of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the Research Alliance Ruhr founded in 2022. “Together, we in the University Alliance Ruhr have a good chance of being successful in the Excellence Strategy in order to be able to compete as an Consortium of Excellence in 2025,” the rectors agree.