Workshop process
The Rectorate has paved the way for a broad participatory process. While the paper defines the overarching strategic goals and systematizes existing or planned measures to achieve these goals, the participatory development and implementation process, which has now begun and will last several months, serves to jointly work out which steps are necessary to achieve the overarching content-related and institutional goals and to further develop research and its framework conditions at TU Dortmund University in line with the goals.
At the heart of the implementation process will be a series of workshops. In the workshops launched in 2024, representatives from science and administration will jointly develop measures to optimize research conditions at TU Dortmund University and a roadmap for implementation. Places in the workshops are limited and will be distributed according to status groups; the Rectorate therefore reserves the right to select individuals in order to enable the participation and representation of all groups.
Public university event
On June 5, 2025, the Rectorate of TU Dortmund University invites you to a public presentation and discussion of the results of the research strategy workshops and the activities within the framework of the Excellence Strategy.
The event will take place from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in the International Meeting Center (IBZ) and is aimed at all members of the university who are interested in the future direction of research and strategic development in the context of the Excellence Strategy.
Active participation and constructive discussion are expressly encouraged.
Second workshop phase
September 27, 2024: The workshop phase began with a joint assessment to identify points of connection, obstacles, and gaps in the sub-goals. Based on this, initial ideas for measures were developed.
November 15, 2024: In the second workshop, the previously developed proposals for measures were refined, and new ideas were generated and elaborated.
November 29, 2024: The third workshop focused on further developing and refining the previously generated ideas. Participants delved deeper into the details of their concepts, reflected on their potential, and discussed possible challenges in implementation. Additionally, plans were restructured to reduce overlaps and promote shared approaches.
January 17, 2025: Participants from all workshop streams presented and discussed the measures developed in the previous individual workshops. Some of these measures were examined in greater depth at topic tables. The results of these discussions will feed into the final workshop and contribute to the finalization of the measures.
January 31, 2025: The last internal meeting for this workshop took place on January 31, 2025.
November 7, 2024: Participants of the workshop strand "Expanding Diversity in Research" gathered for a session that began with a brief thematic introduction on "Gender and Diversity at TU Dortmund." This was followed by an engaging discussion and collaborative work on concrete measures. These measures aim to make structures and processes more accessible, increase the visibility of diverse researchers, and enhance the consideration of diversity aspects in research.
November 21, 2024: Participants explored various aspects of diversity and examined their significance for scientific processes and outcomes. In groups, they developed measures to actively promote diversity in research projects and break down structural barriers.
January 17, 2025: Participants from all workshop strands presented and discussed the measures developed in previous individual workshops. Some of these measures were explored in greater depth at thematic tables. The results of these discussions will contribute to the final workshop and the completion of the measures.
January 30, 2025: In the final workshop, the measures were further refined. Following a collective discussion, a comprehensive action package was assembled, which will be presented to the Rectorate.
November 8, 2024: The workshop on Transfer and Science Communication began with a strong focus on dialogue-oriented approaches. Discussions emphasized the importance of exchange between science, society, and practice to effectively communicate knowledge and create shared value.
November 22, 2024: The second workshop aimed to deepen and refine the previously developed proposals. Additionally, new concepts were generated and elaborated in detail.
December 6, 2024: The third workshop focused on further developing the ideas from previous sessions. Participants made adjustments, expanded their initiatives, and exchanged views on opportunities and potential challenges in implementation.
January 17, 2025: Participants from all workshop strands presented and discussed the measures developed in previous individual workshops. Some of these measures were explored in greater depth at thematic tables. The results of these discussions will contribute to the final workshop and the completion of the measures.
January 31, 2025: In the final workshop, feedback from the Critical Friends discussions on January 17 was incorporated into the revision of the measures. Participants prioritized six key measures, which will be recommended to the Rectorate for implementation.
October 11, 2024: On Friday, October 11, 2024, the participants of the workshop strand on "Ensuring Research-based and Research-oriented Teaching" met for the first time. After a brief input on the topic from a higher education didactics perspective, the participants engaged in lively discussions. Together, they developed various proposals on how research-oriented teaching could be promoted.
November 22, 2024: The fruitful discussions on research-oriented teaching continued. The participants developed concrete ideas on how research-based teaching at TU Dortmund could be further strengthened.
December 6, 2024: During the third workshop on Saint Nicholas Day, the focus was on further developing the ideas from the previous meetings. Participants worked out more details of their proposals and discussed the potential as well as possible obstacles in their implementation. Additionally, the initiatives were restructured to leverage synergies and avoid redundancies.
January 17, 2025: Participants from all workshop strands presented and discussed the measures developed in previous individual workshops. Some of these measures were explored in greater depth at thematic tables. The results of these discussions will feed into the final workshop and contribute to the finalization of the measures.
January 31, 2025: On January 31, 2025, the participants had an intensive final discussion on the developed measures and prioritized the ideas they believed had the greatest potential to further strengthen research-oriented teaching at TU Dortmund.
News from the individual workshops
January 12, 2024: In the opening workshop, potential indicators for assessing outstanding research were discussed by the participants.
February 2, 2024: The participants continued their work, now focusing mainly on measures to promote excellent research.
April 12, 2024: New ideas for measures to strengthen research at TU Dortmund emerged from the discussions of the participants during the third workshop. There was a particular focus on the thematic areas of "Innovation" and "Research Framework Conditions."
May 17, 2025: The fourth workshop serves as an exchange between the three workshop groups and provides the opportunity to reflect on and optimize measures ideas mutually.
January 18, 2024: In the opening workshop, Prof. Dr. Tessa Flatten, Vice Rector for Research, and Thomas Oeldemann, Representative of the Rectorate for Internationalization, provided insights into the state of international research at TU Dortmund. Building on this, the participants discussed indicators for measuring internationalization.
February 16, 2024: In the second workshop, participants designed measures to strengthen international research at TU Dortmund and will further develop them in the next workshop at the end of April.
April 19, 2024: New ideas for measures to strengthen the internationalization of research at TU Dortmund emerged from the discussions of the workshop participants. A particular focus of the third workshop was on the thematic areas of "EU research funding" and "research collaborations."
May 17, 2025: The fourth workshop serves as an exchange between the three workshop groups and provides the opportunity to reflect on and optimize measures ideas mutually.
January 19, 2024: At the beginning of the workshop, the participants discussed the integration of the "Evaluation and Monitoring" area in relation to the six thematic goals of the research strategy along the functions of learning, steering, and legitimizing. From these considerations, they derived various fields of action.
February 16, 2024: In the second workshop, the participants continued their discussions and systematized possible indicators for evaluation and monitoring using a matrix.
April 19, 2024: A jointly developed differentiated target system and further ideas for measures to systematically and transparently advance monitoring and evaluation were at the center of the third workshop.
May 17, 2025: The fourth workshop serves as an exchange between the three workshop groups and provides the opportunity to reflect on and optimize measures ideas mutually.
Update on the 2023-2027 research strategy presented
At a public university event on June 20, Prof. Nele McElvany, Vice President Research, presented the first interim results of the participatory process for TU Dortmund University's 2023-2027 research strategy. In front of an audience of around 200 people from academia and administration, she and Rector Prof. Manfred Bayer emphasized the importance of the joint efforts for the entire university. They also discussed the ongoing preparations to apply for the Excellence Strategy as part of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) in 2025.
Details: //www.tu-dortmund.de/detail/update-zur-forschungsstrategie-2023-2027-praesentiert-43671/ (only german)
Start of the first workshops
The first workshop strands started in January 2024 and cover a wide range of topics based on the objectives of the research strategy. The workshop phase in the first half of 2024 is dedicated to the goals of "Strengthening excellent basic and application-oriented research, their systematic combination and interdisciplinary cooperation", "Expanding internationalization in research" and "Continuously providing systematic monitoring and evaluation".
Details: https://www.tu-dortmund.de/detail/tu-weite-workshops-zur-forschungsstrategie-gestartet-39232/?tabindex=1&cHash=f9aebba254d813891f37fdf1b41f1e0a (only german)
Kick-off event
Around 150 TU members were present when the Rectorate presented TU Dortmund University's new 2023-2027 research strategy to the university public at an information event at the end of November. With this, Vice-Rector for Research Prof. Nele McElvany also gave the starting signal for the broad participation process, which will run from January 2024 to June 2025: Stakeholders from research, teaching and administration as well as students are invited to participate in shaping the goals presented.
Details: https://www.tu-dortmund.de/nachrichtendetail/auftakt-fuer-die-neue-forschungsstrategie-37843/