Advancing Society Through Research and Knowledge

On 27 October, TU Dortmund University once again invited representatives of the city’s community to attend scientific lectures in downtown Dortmund. At the 29th Gambrinus Forum, economist Professor Martin Ihrig of New York University spoke on sustainable growth in a knowledge-based society. Professor Martin Paul, President of Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), showcased the Ruhr Innovation Lab. With this project, RUB and TU Dortmund University are jointly applying as a University Consortium of Excellence. As part of the event, TU Dortmund University also once again conferred its Internationalization Awards.

Professor Manfred Bayer welcomed numerous guests from academia, industry, and the city’s community at the Westfälischer Industrieklub (Westphalian Industrial Club). The President of TU Dortmund University emphasized that the aim of the Gambrinus Forum is to strengthen the dialogue between science and society.

Developing Knowledge Resources Strategically

Economist Professor Martin Ihrig, who traveled to the Gambrinus Forum from New York, spoke about sustainable growth in a knowledge-based society and an increasingly uncertain world. In order to strategically develop knowledge within organizations – whether companies, municipalities, or universities – a stocktaking is first required. This should take into account “proprietary knowledge,” which is highly structured and does not diffuse, such as patents and intellectual property. In addition, the “personal knowledge” of subject experts must be considered, which is usually unstructured and non-diffusing. Added to this are the “prevailing understanding,” such as industry-wide shared convictions, and “public knowledge,” which is, for example, recorded in corporate publications.

In his consulting work, Professor Ihrig recommends always developing and visualizing a strategic portfolio of all these knowledge resources and their interrelationships, in order to be able to develop knowledge strategically. In this way, an organization can generate innovation and achieve sustainable growth.

Professor Ihrig has lived and worked in the United States for around 20 years. He currently holds appointments at New York University (NYU) and at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also co-founder and president of the I-Space Institute, which supports organizations in developing innovation and growth strategies.

Driving Change through Innovation

Professor Martin Paul, President of Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), presented the Ruhr Innovation Lab. Under this name, TU Dortmund University and RUB are entering the second competition phase of the Excellence Strategy together. The two universities aim to create an experimental space where new possibilities for research can emerge and where innovative solutions can grow out of basic research. To this end, the project also aims to innovate on the collaboration between academia, industry, and civil society.

The Ruhr region is particularly well suited for this, as it has already demonstrated how economy and society can change positively and sustainably. With 22 universities and numerous non-university research institutions, it has developed into a strong hub of knowledge. RUB and TU Dortmund University can build on the University Alliance Ruhr, in which they have been working together strategically and closely with the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) since 2007.

In four profile areas, the two universities already demonstrate excellent top-level research, including sustainable chemistry, trustworthy IT systems, novel materials, and the nature of matter, according to Professor Paul. TU Dortmund University and RUB are also very well positioned in the fields of transfer and start-ups. Together with UDE and other partners, they successfully secured funding this summer for the BRYCK Startup Alliance as one of ten Startup Factories in Germany.

The vision of the Ruhr Innovation Lab, Professor Paul explained, is to contribute through research and innovation to safeguarding prosperity and values as well as to strengthening the trustworthiness of information. Following submission of the application on 12 November and review in the coming spring, it will be announced in October 2026 which 15 universities and university consortia of excellence will receive funding.

Professor Martin Paul has been President of RUB since 2021. Prior to that, the pharmacologist served for ten years as President of Maastricht University. He also conducted research and taught at Freie Universität Berlin and at the Charité. Beginning in 2016, he served for several years on the expert panel of the German Excellence Strategy.

Internationalization Awards in Four Categories

As part of the Gambrinus Forum, TU Dortmund University once again conferred its annual Internationalization Awards. Professor Tessa Flatten, Vice President International Affairs, honored outstanding international commitment in the areas of teaching, research, transfer, and administration.

Gruppenfoto: Die Preisträger*innen der Internationalisierungspreise posieren für ein Gruppenfoto vor der Leinwand bei der feierlichen Verleihung. — The award winners (from left): Professor Matthias Faes, Professor Angela Madeo, Dr. Maximilian Hartmann, Dr. Debra Hanning, and Frigga Göckede together with Vice President for International Affairs Professor Tessa Flatten (right).

Research: Professor Matthias Faes

Professor Matthias Faes of the Department of Mechanical Engineering was honored for his numerous publications with international co-authors. In 2024 alone, he recorded 15 publications with international colleagues. Around 80 percent of his work is published jointly with teams from around the world.

Teaching: Professor Angela Madeo

Professor Angela Madeo of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering initiated the international master’s program Mechanics of Sustainable Materials and Structures. The program is offered jointly with the University of Trento in Italy and the École Centrale de Nantes in France, and is funded under the Erasmus Mundus program.

Transfer: Start-up vGreens

Dr. Maximilian Hartmann accepted the Internationalization Award on behalf of the start-up vGreens. Founded in 2020 and supported by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Transfer (CET), the company optimizes vertical food cultivation using artificial intelligence – and recently established its own site in Singapore.

Administration: Dr. Debra Hanning and Frigga Göckede

For their comprehensive support of students seeking international experience, the Internationalization Award went to Dr. Debra Hanning of the Department of Business and Economics and Frigga Göckede of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In their respective dean’s offices, both support international students coming to Dortmund as well as TU students preparing for a semester abroad.

The Dortmund Gambrinus Fellowships

Since 1993, the Gambrinus Fellowships have supported research stays of international scientists at TU Dortmund University. The fellowships were established in 1993 by the Association of Dortmund Beer Brewers to commemorate the city’s 700-year brewing rights. More than 200 visiting scientists have already been welcomed in Dortmund, and numerous international collaborations have been established. The annual Gambrinus Forum, featuring lectures by internationally renowned scientists, is aimed at a non-university audience and has been held at the Westfälischer Industrieklub since 2016.

Impressions from the Gambrinus Forum: