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lecture hall with a lot of students © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
University Alliance Ruhr

Research Center One Health Ruhr Opened at Zollverein

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Photo: Minister President Hendrik Wüst stands at a lectern at the opening of the One Health Ruhr research center. People sit in front of him in the audience. © RUB​/​Marquardt
Minister-President Hendrik Wüst during the opening of the Research Center One Health Ruhr.
On 4 November, the University Alliance Ruhr presented its joint Research Center One Health Ruhr at the former coal mine Zeche Zollverein in Essen. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and NRW Minister of Culture and Science Ina Brandes were guests at the opening ceremony. The new research center sets new standards for interdisciplinary and internationally competitive cutting-edge research in health, environment, and society.

In the Research Center One Health Ruhr, the three Ruhr area universities are jointly researching the complex interactions between human health and the environment. Eight of the 14 new research professorships have already been filled with internationally outstanding top scientists at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), and TU Dortmund University. The three partners of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) are jointly supporting the Research Center One Health Ruhr as part of the Research Alliance Ruhr, which was founded in 2021 on the initiative of the Ruhr Conference.

One Health Ruhr is led by the three founding directors Prof. Dirk Schadendorf, Prof. Bernd Sures, and Prof. Onur Güntürkün. At the event, Prof. Schadendorf explained the scientific concept: “The Research Center One Health Ruhr investigates how environmental changes affect human health. In the three areas of aquatic ecology, molecular oncology, and cognitive neuroscience, we are examining how pollutants in water contribute to the development of cancer and how the design of ecosystems can create recreational spaces that promote mental health. Especially in industrial regions like the Ruhr area, the re-naturalization of water bodies can be medically as well as psychologically valuable. Our goal is to understand the environment as an essential health factor and to develop sustainable strategies to promote physical and mental health in the region.”

Comments on the opening
Photo: Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst in a suit. Wüst gives an interview to journalists and speaks into a microphone. © RUB​/​Marquardt

In his welcome address, NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, Member of the Landtag (State Parliament), stressed that the Research Center strengthens the state’s pioneering role in health research: “Health research benefits the individual more than any other research area. And that’s precisely why it’s our aspiration to further expand the top position we hold in North Rhine-Westphalia in this field. With the Research Center One Health of the Research Alliance Ruhr, we as a state are taking another important step in this direction. The One Health Ruhr approach of bundling resources and focusing on interdisciplinary research strengthens North Rhine-Westphalia as a research location and sets new standards in international comparison. This is also why renowned scientists from all over the world are coming to North Rhine-Westphalia to drive forward their research projects here.”

Photo: Science Minister Ina Brandes stands at a lectern at the opening of the One Health Ruhr Research Center. Brandes wears a blonde updo, a black blazer and a red blouse. © RUB​/​Marquardt

Minister of Culture and Science Ina Brandes, Member of the Landtag, added: “Coal mining has brought great prosperity to the people in the Ruhr region and throughout Germany. Today, the raw material of research and science is providing good jobs, prosperity, and social security. That’s why I’m particularly pleased that we are opening the first Research Center of the University Alliance Ruhr on the grounds of the Zollverein coal mine.”

The University Management of the UA Ruhr, Prof. Barbara Albert (Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen), Prof. Martin Paul (Rector of Ruhr University Bochum), and Prof. Manfred Bayer (President of TU Dortmund University), emphasized the strength of the Ruhr region as a science location: “In the age of the Anthropocene, living conditions on our planet are changing for both humans and nature. Especially when it comes to the holistic consideration of a complex topic like health, the complementary strengths of the three UA Ruhr partners are of central importance in illuminating all levels from the molecule to the organism to the system. We as universities fulfill our responsibility for the future by developing science-based solutions through innovative and interdisciplinary research. This task is so important, diverse, and large that the collaboration of three universities is not only meaningful, but absolutely necessary.”

The opening event provided insights into the origins and vision of the Research Center. For example, Prof. Martin Stratmann, former President of the Max Planck Society and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the UA Ruhr, explained how as a member of the Ruhr Conference initiated by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2018, he had helped to establish the Research Alliance. Afterwards, members of the Research Center discussed together with the Chairman of the Emschergenossenschaft, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Paetzel, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Jan Buer, how the research of One Health Ruhr will make a difference in the future.

The areas of molecular biology and water research, molecular cancer research, and cognitive neuroscience are already firmly established at the three participating universities. The 14 new research professorships will now structurally interlink the sub-areas. For the following eight professorships, internationally successful top scientists have already been recruited: Prof. Ralf Schäfer (Ecotoxicology), Prof. Alexander Probst (Environmental Metagenomics), Prof. Kathrin Thedieck (Metabolism, Senescence & Autophagy), Dr. Amelie Heuer-Jungemann (Hybrid Bionanosystems, from 2025 at TU Dortmund University), Prof. Helen Blank (Predictive Cognition), Prof. Dirk Scheele (Social Neuroscience), Prof. Caspar Schwiedrzik (Cognitive Neurobiology) and Prof. Lucia Melloni (Predictive Brain). Further appointments with a focus on Cell Biology & Human Disease, Tumor Metabolism & Microenvironment, Freshwater Ecosystem Health and Oncological Proteometabolomics will follow within two years.

Impressions from the opening:

About the Research Alliance Ruhr 

In 2021, the University Alliance Ruhr founded the Research Alliance Ruhr to bundle and further expand its internationally leading research. In addition to the Research Center “One Health Ruhr”, there are three other Research Centers focusing on “Chemical Sciences and Sustainability”, “Trustworthy Data Science and Security” and “Future Energy Materials and Systems“ as well as the “College for Social Sciences and Humanities”. In total, around 50 new professorships are being created here, half of which have already been filled. The Research Alliance Ruhr was initiated by the Ruhr Conference and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with around 75 million euros in the start-up phase. In 2025, the state will provide an additional 48 million euros to support the cooperation. The Research Alliance Ruhr has the potential to serve as a model for the German higher education and science system.

Further information

Contact person:

Dr. Sara Letzner, Management
Phone: +49 201 183 336
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