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Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University Celebrate Success in the Excellence Strategy

© Mareen Meyer, Ruhr Innovation Lab
The Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering at TU Dortmund is delighted that the German Council of Science and Humanities rewarded the fruitful cooperation between Ruhr University Bochum and University of Dortmund on October 2nd, 2026, in Bonn. Starting in 2027 the federal and state governments will fund it as an ExcellenceCluster.

Under the name Ruhr Innovation Lab (RIL), the two universities have presented a concept based on the pillars of enabling creative spaces for research, fostering talent, promoting networking, and transferring knowledge to industry and society.
A prerequisite for the application was that the consortium could demonstrate three Clusters of Excellence. TU Dortmund University can demonstrate its participation in two Clusters of Excellence, including the RESOLV (Ruhr Explores SOLVation) cluster, in which several BCI chairs are involved: the Chair of Thermodynamics, headed by Prof. Gabriele Sadowski, who is also one of the three spokespersons for RESOLV, and the Chair of Computational Bioengineering, headed by Prof. Elsa Sánchez-García, and Reaction Engineering and Catalysis by Prof. Hannsjörg Freund. The RESOLV Cluster focuses on analyzing the role of solvents in chemicalprocesses and developing stable and safe products. Solvation processes are aimed to be understood at the molecular level. RESOLV uniquely combines state-of-the-art analytical techniques, advanced computer-aided and AI-supported methods, and novel synthesis strategies.
The faculty is now preparing for the next steps to actively support RIL's design approaches. Now, we first of all would like to thank everyone who participated in the preparation of the application and say CONGRATULATION.