Application for a University Consortia of Excellence: IFS in the RIL

The Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and TU Dortmund University are jointly applying as a University Consortia of Excellence within Germany’s nationwide Excellence Strategy. At the center of the application is the Ruhr Innovation Lab (RIL), through which both universities aim to combine their strengths and further expand their internationally leading research.

The Ruhr Innovation Lab is a joint creative and innovation laboratory of the two universities. It is designed to create new spaces for interdisciplinary research and to strengthen the transfer of knowledge and technology into society and the economy. In terms of content, it builds on shared research priorities, including solvation science, trustworthy AI, novel materials, and the nature of matter. Within the consortium, three additional areas with high development potential have been identified and are set to be further expanded.

Researchers from the Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS) are also involved in one of these potential areas, “A Healthy Mind in a Complex World,” which is jointly shaped by psychologists, philosophers, and education researchers. During the site visit as part of the evaluation process, Professor Michael Becker will present the working group “Development and Education,” and Dr. Pascal Alscher will introduce the IFS project “Creative Interfaith and Restorative Peacebuilding in Artful Learning Spaces and Places” (CIRCLE).

Funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program, the CIRCLE project brings together 15 partner organizations from 13 European countries and explores how cultural and religious conflicts can be addressed through approaches of cultural diplomacy. In museums and other cultural learning environments, artistic formats such as storytelling, theatre, or music are used to promote dialogue and reconciliation. The IFS is primarily responsible for evaluating the developed interventions.

Whether the universities will receive the title of University Consortia of Excellence will be decided through an international evaluation process. The German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat) leads and organizes the procedure for the Excellence Universities funding line. The consortium will be assessed on site by a specially appointed panel of reviewers. During the evaluation, nine reviewers will examine the two universities over several days on site. A Committee of Experts will then assess the scientific quality of the proposals. Based on this assessment, the Excellence Commission—comprising the panel of experts and the science ministers of the federal and state governments—will make the final funding decision.

We wish all participants a successful site visit and every success in the further evaluation process!