Research Departments of the Ruhr University Bochum

Faculty comprehensive research

Overview: RUB Research Departments

True to its principle of "universitas" – the community of people learning from each other – the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) wants to implement three claims for academic education: the unity of research and teaching, the unity of teaching and learning, and the unit of science.

Cutting-edge research at RUB is organised along the lines of flexible, interdisciplinary Research Departments (RD). Research Departments that maintain strong networks between each other and also on an international scale then lead to larger clusters for delving into comprehensive issues. Research Departments are flexible units forming bridges across disciplinary borders and pool existing excellence in interdisciplinary research.

Research Departments are set up for a specific period of time and tied to several criteria:
(i) an overarching research strategy,
(ii) proven excellence in collaborative research, based on at least one Collaborative Research Centre (SFB or equivalent) and three additional major collaborative research projects, typically funded by DFG, BMBF, or the EU,
(iii) a strategy for advancing early career researchers and
(iv) a concept for research-oriented teaching.

Implementing Research Departments is a key element in the "RUB Research Campus" strategy. The Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of North Rhine-Westphalia supported the RUB in its striving for excellence with 20 million euros.

The RUB has already founded Research Departments in the Life Sciences, Material Science and Religious Studies. New Research Departments can be set up at any time in other excellent research areas.

Research Department Websites

At the moment, five Research Departments have been founded using the additional funds provided by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition to the RDs mentioned above, another Research Department called "CERES" (Center for Religious Studies) has been founded in December 2009. Please check the different Research Department websites for more information:

• Research Department CERES (RD Ceres)
  
  
• Research Department Interfacial Systems Chemistry (RD IFSC)
  
  
• Materials Research Department (MRD)
  
  
• Research Department of Neuroscience (RDN)
  
  
• Research Department Plasmas with Complex Interactions
  
  
• Protein Research Department (PRD)
  
  

Developing Research Department Websites

RUB’s strategy is to support further cooperative research areas so-called developing Research Departments (dRDs). Two of RUB’s rapidly advancing research areas have gained considerable strength and are currently on their way to developing into RDs.

Please check the dRD website for more information:

• dRD Subsurface Modeling and Engineering (SME)
  
  
• dRD Sustainable Product-Service Systems (SPS²)
  
  

Another building block of the Ruhr University's "Research Campus" strategy is the implementation of two Applied Competence Clusters (ACCs), which are also being funded as part of the project by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia. The ACCs act as platforms for technology transfer for two Research Departments in the Material Sciences

For more details on the ACCs check here.

Applied Competence Cluster Websites

• ACC Plasma Technology
  
  
• ACC Terahertz
  
  

Project Coordinator

Dr. Birgit Felten
Research Office
Dept. 1
Phone: +49 (0) 234 32-28128
Mail: Birigt.Felten@uv.rub.de

Research Department News

With the establishment of Collaborative Research Centre SFB-TR 87 „Pulsed High Power Plasmas for the Synthesis of Nanostructural Functional Layers “ and SFB 874 „Integration and Representation of Sensory Processes“ the Research Department Plasmas with Complex Interactions and the Research Department of Neuroscience have now officially been founded.

On 9th of December 2009, the Rector of the Ruhr University Bochum Prof. Dr. Weiler (right) and Prof. Dr. Krech as Speaker of the Research Department CERES have signed agreements on objectives. Thus the RD CERES has officially been founded.

In January 2009, the first three interdisciplinary Research Departments (RD) have already been founded at the RUB: the RD Integrity of Small-Scale Systems / High-Temperature Materials IS3/HTM (Speaker Prof. Dr. Alfred Ludwig), the RD Interfacial Systems Chemistry IFSC (Speaker Prof. Dr. Nils Metzler-Nolte) and the Protein Research Department (Speaker Prof. Dr. Klaus Gerwert). Agreements on objectives have now been signed with two other Research Departments which are currently being set up: the RD of Neuroscience (Speaker Prof. Dr. Denise Manahan-Vaughan) and the RD Plasmas with Complex Interactions (Speaker Prof. Dr. Jörg Winter), so that in these Research Departments too, the implementation of the agreed measures can fundamentally get underway.