Flanked by the mayors of Bochum (Jörg Lukat, right) and Dortmund (Alexander Kalouti, left), the university presidents, Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer (second from the left) and Prof. Dr. Martin Paul, gave free rein to their emotions.
At the Westfälischer Industrieklub in Dortmund, members of the Ruhr Innovation Lab watched the German Science and Humanities Council’s press conference live. There, the two rectors thanked all those who had been closely involved in the review process. Right in the middle of it all was the unicorn, which has turned out to be the consortium’s lucky charm.
Among the guests was Ina Brandes, the Minister of Culture and Science for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She congratulated the two university presidents and was clearly delighted for them.
Cheering in the Ruhr Area
RUB and TU Dortmund University Celebrate Excellence Strategy Success
With the Ruhr Innovation Lab, the partners convinced an international jury of their outstanding scientific quality and their vision for future collaboration.
By combining their strengths, Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University convinced the Excellence Strategy expert commission: Their strategic partnership in the Ruhr Innovation Lab will be funded as a Consortium of Excellence. As the German Science and Humanities Council announced on October 2, 2026, in Bonn, three other universities have also newly attained the University of Excellence status. As a result, the German federal and state governments will fund 12 Universities of Excellence and three Consortia of Excellence from January 2027 on.
“We are overwhelmed by this outstanding achievement,” said Martin Paul, Rector of Ruhr University Bochum. “Together, we have moved up to the Champions League of science,” added Manfred Bayer, Rector of TU Dortmund University. The two universities had made a conscious decision to apply jointly in the Excellence Strategy in order to deepen their long-standing partnership. Under the name Ruhr Innovation Lab, they presented a concept designed to create an ecosystem for a future-proof society. It focuses on creative freedom for research, innovative teaching, close collaboration with business and society, and new models of cross-university cooperation.
“Our credo is that science must not take place in an ivory tower, but must help shape solutions for society,” said Martin Paul. The joint research focal areas aim to secure prosperity for future generations, strengthen trust in the digital age, and safeguard the values of our democracy. The two universities are already conducting world-class research on topics such as sustainable chemistry, cybersecurity, AI-assisted materials design, and the nature of matter. By combining the complementary strengths of both institutions, the partnership also aims to address complex issues in areas such as mental health, the impact of media, and production technology.
We are now taking the next step toward integration with the Ruhr Innovation Lab.
“In our application, we built on a long-standing cooperation and are now taking the next step toward integration with the Ruhr Innovation Lab,” explained Manfred Bayer. The foundation is the University Alliance Ruhr, in which the two partners, together with the University of Duisburg-Essen, have created a wide range of joint structures since 2007, such as the shared Research Centers and the College. The Ruhr Innovation Lab is now testing an even closer bilateral partnership by gradually integrating services for research and knowledge transfer or by coordinating the personnel planning of pilot faculties.
Our success in the Excellence Strategy will give the entire Ruhr Area a boost and greater international visibility.
“Our success in the Excellence Strategy will give the entire Ruhr Area a boost and greater international visibility,” the two rectors agree. It is still often overlooked that the Ruhr Area is one of Germany’s densest science regions, with over twenty universities and numerous non-university research institutions. A distinctive feature of the metropolitan area is the well-established collaboration across city boundaries—not only within the academic community but also with businesses and local governments. Consequently, the Ruhr Innovation Lab had strong regional partners at its side, such as the “Initiativkreis Ruhr” and the “Regionalverband Ruhr”.
Internal Town Hall Meeting
About the Excellence Strategy
