Partner Universities
Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University look back on a long tradition of shared initiatives. Since 2007, we have been cooperating closely within the University Alliance Ruhr in which we join forces with the University of Duisburg-Essen. Our shared journey has not only demonstrated what is possible but has also equipped us with the knowledge and skills to continue driving progress and innovation. We are well-prepared to shape an even brighter future together.
Ruhr University Bochum
In 1965, Ruhr University Bochum was the first university established in Germany after the end of the Second World War. Since then, it has been at the forefront of the region’s transformation from a mining community into a science hotspot. Its reformist mindset has been a role model for a new spirit in the German academic landscape. The mission has been and continues to provide education for all talents independently of their upbringing and social status. No other university has produced as many first-generation academics as Ruhr University Bochum. Today, it has about 38,000 students, 5,500 employees and 21 departments, covering the entire range of subjects in the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences and humanities. Ruhr University Bochum’s compact campus design facilitates interdisciplinary cooperation, the basis for its scientific excellence.
Ruhr University Bochum's Research Profile
Ruhr University Bochum stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, merging diverse academic disciplines to fuel cutting-edge research. It excels in liquid and soft-matter sciences, cybersecurity, advanced characterization, and physics, while also making significant strides in social sciences and humanities, thus propelling Ruhr University Bochum to the top 10 in three subject areas of Germany’s DFG Funding Atlas 2024. Its dynamic Science and Humanities Hubs transform disciplinary expertise into system-wide capabilities, empowering large teams to operate with unparalleled agility and speed. The university’s functional campus infrastructure, featuring five competitively funded research buildings, fosters seamless collaboration and interdisciplinarity.
TU Dortmund University
TU Dortmund University opened three years after Ruhr University Bochum, joining the endeavor to redefine and transform the Ruhr region. Today, it counts approximately 30,000 students and 4,200 employees. With 17 departments, the university thrives on the interdisciplinary cooperation of natural and engineering sciences as well as social and cultural studies where it carries out ground-breaking research. It complements its societal mission through an emphasis on offering broad teacher training programs to qualify prospective educators for all school types, inspiring and influencing generations to come. In addition, TU Dortmund University made history as the first university in the Ruhr area to have a technology park established in its vicinity, forging a vital link between science and industry. Today, the Dortmund Technology Park remains Germany’s largest of its kind.
TU Dortmund University's Research Profile
TU Dortmund University excels in natural sciences, application-driven engineering, and data science, advancing fundamentals, methods and applications. It boasts one of Germany's strongest statistics-computer science constellations with its Department of Statistics, the Lamarr Institute, and close collaboration with local Fraunhofer Institutes enabling excellent, interconnected industrial technology transfer. The university also drives outstanding research in the social sciences, addressing pressing issues such as migration, education and aging, and houses Germany's leading institute for journalism, which conducts impactful research on science communication, media skepticism and democracy.
Years of Proven Partnership
For almost 20 years, Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University, together with the University of Duisburg-Essen, have joined forces in the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr). Since its foundation in 2007, the UA Ruhr has launched over 100 collaborative projects in research, education, knowledge transfer and administration. In 2017, the three partners merged their scientific career development programs into the Research Academy. The latest milestone, the Research Centers and the College founded in 2021, drives innovative international research on pressing global issues.