Internationalization WUN university network supports two new research projects 

Since 2022, Ruhr University has been a member of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), a university network with 24 universities from all over the world. Every year, the network announces the Research Development Fund for joint research projects which focus in particular on key topics in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. In December 2024, two project applications submitted by Ruhr University were approved. Funding will be provided for the project “Academic Freedom as a Driver of Development? Regional Perspectives on the Roles of Academia” by Dr. Maximilian Schell from the Chair of Systematic Theology, Ethics and Fundamental Theology and the project “Green Hydrogen for Southern Africa's Fair Energy Futures“ by Dr. Elkhan Richard Sadik-Zada from the Institute for Development Research and Development Policy.

Academic freedom and responsibility in a global context

Are universities and researchers perceived as actors of social responsibility and sustainable development? Should they be? This question and the role of science and research in a global perspective will be addressed by an international research team led by postdoc Maximilian Schell from spring 2025. The project will initially be funded for one year and carried out in close cooperation with the Scholars at Risk network and researchers from Ghana, Thailand, Brazil, the UK and the USA. “We want to systematically analyze and compare existing regional concepts of academic freedom and responsibility. By being embedded in the Worldwide University Network, a large number of regions can be covered,” says Schell. 

Fair and green energy supply in Africa

What role could green hydrogen play in Africa in the future? The project “Green Hydrogen for Southern Africa's Fair Energy Futures” is dedicated to this question. “In the project, we are addressing the socio-economic challenges of energy transformation in Southern Africa and focus on the potential role of green hydrogen,” explains project leader Elkhan Sadik-Zada. The project benefits above all from the diversity of the WUN partner universities involved: Ruhr University is cooperating with the University of Tsukuba from the Global North as well as three WUN member universities that are also part of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA): the University of Cape Town, the University of Ghana, Makerere University and the University of Pretoria.

Contribution to internationalization 

Both research projects thus clearly fulfill the vision that WUN is pursuing. “The aim is to bring WUN researchers together to conduct innovative and high-quality research on the overarching WUN research topics and to jointly find solutions for the associated sustainable development goals,” explains Monika Sprung, Head of the International Office. Iris Vernekohl, Internationalization and Global Engagement Officer, adds: “Both research projects are also characterized by the fact that they not only promote networking within WUN, but also cooperation with other strategic partner institutions of Ruhr University such as the University of Tsukuba, the Scholars at Risk Network or the Ghana NRW University Alliance.”