University Alliance Ruhr

Cutting-edge research for sustainable chemistry

From environmentally friendly chemical processes to new findings for drug manufacturing: The Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability of the University Alliance Ruhr stands for pioneering research on the molecular understanding of chemical reactions, processes, and products. Together with Ina Brandes MdL, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Research Center was officially opened on March 25, 2026, at Deutsches Bergbau-Museum in Bochum. At the same time, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (Ruhr Explores Solvation) celebrates the start of its third funding period.

The Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability is part of the Research Alliance Ruhr, which emerged from the Ruhr Conference and is generously funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The center is closely linked to the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV, which explores the role of solvents in chemical and biological processes at the molecular level and develops solutions for usage in industrial applications and products.

Minister of Science Ina Brandes: "The Ruhr region demonstrates how successful structural change can be achieved through science. With the Research Alliance Ruhr, the region's three universities bring together their strengths and create an internationally visible center for cutting-edge research in the key future fields of science and research. Here, the ideas and technologies we need for climate protection, innovation, and economic strength are being developed."

An asset for North Rhine-Westphalia as center for chemistry

“The Research Center is a great asset for the chemistry sector in North Rhein-Westphalia. We are bundling the strengths of three universities researching in this field and cooperating closely, supported by the state government and in fruitful collaboration with strong research partners, including three Max Planck Institutes,” say the Rectors of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Professor Barbara Albert, Ruhr University Bochum, Professor Martin Paul, and TU Dortmund University, Professor Manfred Bayer. “This coherent full package enables us to attract internationally renowned researchers to our region and retain them here long-term.”

Celebrating the opening of the Research Center together (from left): Ralph Marquardt, Evonik Operations and Board Member of the Evonik Foundation; Gabriele Sadowski, TU Dortmund, Director of the Research Center; Manfred Bayer, Rector of TU Dortmund; Minister Ina Brandes; Martina Havenith-Newen, Spokesperson for RESOLV; Martin Paul, Rector of RUB, Barbara Albert, Rector of UDE, and Viktoria Däschlein-Gessner, RUB, Cluster of Excellence RESOLV

© RUB, Marquard

The concept of attracting top international talents to research in the Ruhr region is a common thread of the entire Research Alliance Ruhr with its four research centers and one college. A total of 50 new professorships for cutting-edge research are being created, 35 of which have already been filled. Twelve professorships are allocated to the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability, six of which have already been filled. Six further appointments are planned, including the fields of artificial intelligence in chemistry, sustainable catalysis, and biotechnology. All researchers newly appointed by the center are members of the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV and thus contribute to the cluster's success.

Pioneers in a completely new field of research

“On this special day, as we celebrate RESOLV’s third funding period and highlight the support of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Federal Government, as well as the scientific excellence of our region, we look back with great pride on what we have achieved. When we started in 2012, we were pioneers in a completely new research field: Solvation Science. Today, RESOLV is internationally leading,” says RESOLV spokesperson Professor Martina Havenith. “We are particularly pleased that we were once again able to prevail against strong competition from all over Germany and have been recognized as the leading chemical Cluster of Excellence for the third time. This confirms our courage in introducing innovative research structures, addressing exciting and even risky questions, and evolving RESOLV into a center for cutting-edge international research. We thank the Minister and all our supporters for their trust and look forward to the exciting challenges of the coming years.”

New goals in solvation research

Since the beginning of the funding for RESOLV in 2012, 27 new professors have been appointed. The team comprises more than 200 scientists from over 50 research groups at six institutions. To date, RESOLV members have received over 200 prizes and awards – including the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Benjamin List. Funding for the period from 2026 to 2032 totals 43 million euro.

In the coming years, RESOLV's research activities will focus on the following topics:

• developing innovative approaches to replace fossil carbon by renewable sources
• electrifying chemical production with the aim of directly utilizing "green electricity" and minimizing environmental impacts in the manufacturing process
• optimizing the functionality and long-term stability of formulations for pharmaceutical active ingredients and life science products
• applying artificial intelligence and automation in chemistry
• rapidly transferring research results into industrial applications; in cooperation with Evonik, a new transfer laboratory is being established
• bundling cross-site research activities in the field of sustainable chemistry at the Ruhr Innovation Lab

Successful establishment of the Research Alliance Ruhr

In 2021, the University Alliance Ruhr founded the Research Alliance Ruhr to consolidate its cutting-edge international research and expand it further. It comprises four research centers in the areas of:

• Chemical Sciences and Sustainability
• Future Energy Materials and Systems
• One Health Ruhr
• Trustworthy Data Science and Security

as well as the “College for Social Sciences and Humanities”. The Research Alliance Ruhr was initiated by the Ruhr Conference of the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science. Approximately 75 million euro were available for the development phase from 2022 to 2024. Since 2025, the state has funded the research centers and the college with 48 million euro annually.