Overall Process
University development in the context of research is a continuous process that requires close cooperation between different actors. In a pilot project, representatives from science and administration were brought together at TU Dortmund University between summer 2021 and spring 2023 to develop innovative measures for selected framework conditions for excellent research. The convening of the interdisciplinary working group and the joint work on the various measures is an important step towards a holistic and cooperative further development of TU Dortmund University.
In a first step, relevant work areas such as the promotion of young researchers, transfer and research data management were identified in the summer semester 2021 and representatives from science and administration were approached for collaboration. In the context of a status quo analysis, strengths and weaknesses as well as optimization potentials were identified for the different work areas. Subsequently, area-specific working groups developed initial proposals for measures, which were presented and discussed at joint meetings with the other working groups and the overall coordination.
Between the joint meetings, the various working groups revised the proposed measures in an iterative process and, if necessary, contacted other working groups and other employees from science and administration. After a discussion of the proposed measures and a decision by the rectorate, implementation of the measures began in the winter semester of 2021/22. After considering the expected benefits, the university management provided any funds necessary for the implementation of individual measures.
Through regular meetings in small and large groups, it was possible to react in an agile manner to new findings and changing needs, so that individual working groups were expanded, networked with relevant actors, and additional areas of work were identified. At the beginning of the implementation phase, the exchange with the Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, the other two members of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), was intensified at the level of the work areas and the initiation of joint measures was discussed.
The regular meetings were continued until the end of the implementation phase in the winter semester 2022/23. Subsequently, the process was evaluated qualitatively in individual discussions between the work areas and the overall coordination. The type of collaboration, particularly with regard to cooperation between science and administration and cross-thematic networking, is to be continued in the future.