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Excellence Strategy

TU Dortmund University Submits Full Proposals for Clusters of Excellence

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Collage of three pictures of striking buildings of the UA Ruhr universities © TU​/​RUB​/​UDE
Together with Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University has submitted a renewal proposal for the joint Cluster of Excellence “RESOLV – Ruhr Explores Solvation” within the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. It is also a co-applicant of the new Cluster of Excellence “Color Meets Flavor”, for which it has now submitted a full proposal in collaboration with the University of Bonn, the University of Siegen and the research center Forschungszentrum Jülich. In total, the partners in the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) – TU Dortmund University, Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen – have applied for funding from the Excellence Strategy for four research projects.

In RESOLV, researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University are investigating, with the participation of colleagues from the University of Duisburg-Essen, the role of solvents in chemical reactions. The Cluster of Excellence has existed since 2012 and is now competing for the third time. In the new project “Color Meets Flavor”, physicists from TU Dortmund University, in collaboration with the universities in Bonn and Siegen, want to search for new phenomena in the interaction of elementary particles.

Apart from RESOLV, Ruhr University Bochum has submitted a renewal proposal for the Cluster of Excellence “Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries – CASA”, in which it is exploring IT security solutions for the protection and resilience of our digital society. In addition, the University of Duisburg-Essen has submitted a full proposal for the new research project “REASONS – River Ecosystems in the Anthropocene - sustainable scientific SOlutionS”, in which it wants to develop, together with researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and other partners, a concept for sustainable river management.

Internationally competitive cutting-edge research

The deadline for submitting proposals was 22 August. In May 2025, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science and Humanities Council will jointly announce which Clusters of Excellence will be awarded funding. It will then be decided whether the UA Ruhr can compete as a University Consortium of Excellence. To do so, at least three clusters must first be approved, with each of the partner universities contributing at least one.

“Collaboration across different geographical locations facilitates cutting-edge research that is internationally competitive,” says Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University. “Together, we in the University Alliance Ruhr have a good chance of being successful in the Excellence Strategy.”

About the UA Ruhr

Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen have been working closely together as strategic partners under the umbrella of the UA Ruhr since 2007. Joining forces enables the partner universities to systematically expand their activities. True to the formula “better together”, there are meanwhile over 100 collaborations in research, teaching and administration. With over 110,000 students and almost 1,300 professors, the UA Ruhr is one of the largest and best-performing academic hubs in Germany.