10 years of top promotion
Johannes Rau Research Association
© UDE/Bettina Engel-Albustin
"Research made in NRW" - this is what the Johannes Rau Research Foundation (JRF) stands for. For ten years, its 16 research institutions - seven of which are affiliated with the UDE - have been shaping society, business and politics. On April 8, the JRF celebrated its anniversary in Düsseldorf with sponsors, companions and interested parties. Science Minister Ina Brandes also came to offer her congratulations.
North Rhine-Westphalia is a kind of microcosm for Germany and Europe, as the largest federal state stands for change and cutting-edge research. The JRF was launched with a ceremony on April 2, 2014 in order to take an interdisciplinary approach to the major issues of the future and bring the results of research into society, politics and business.
The association is named after the former Federal President and long-standing NRW Minister President Rau. The state of NRW is a member of the JRF and is represented by the Ministry of Science. There are also 16 legally independent, non-profit, non-university research institutions.
In ten years of intensive work, the JRF has not only achieved an annual turnover of 137 million euros (2022) and raised 21 million euros in institutional state funding (2022) and hosted numerous successful events, but has also developed the four key themes of Cities & Infrastructure, Industry & Environment/Society & Digitalization and Globalization & Integration. They reflect the expertise of the JRF institutes, help with internal networking and the development of research collaborations and public relations work.
Seven JRF members are affiliated institutes of the UDE
Immediately after its foundation, the IWW - Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung in Mülheim/Ruhr and the DST - Entwicklungszentrum für Schiffstechnik und Transportsysteme in Duisburg, both affiliated institutes of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), were accepted into the JRF. The participation of the UDE is completed by the ZBT - Center for Fuel Cell Technology, the IUTA - Institute for Environment & Energy, Technology & Analytics, the ZfTI - Foundation Center for Turkish Studies and Integration Research and the Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute for German-Jewish History.
Prof. Dieter Bathen, holder of the UDE Chair of Thermal Process Engineering and Scientific Director of IUTA, also heads the JFR. He was recently unanimously confirmed as Chairman of the Board and Scientific Director for a further five years.
In addition to greetings from politicians on the future of regional research and a panel discussion, visitors also had the opportunity to visit an exhibition at the anniversary celebration at the JRF headquarters in Düsseldorf.
In the picture:
Seven affiliated institutes of the UDE belong to the Johannes Rau Research Foundation. One of them is the Center for Fuel Cell Technology. Its director Prof. Harry Hoster can be seen here at the fuel cell test stands.
Further information:
Johannes-Rau-Forschungsgemeinschaft e. V.
https://www.uni-due.de/cenide/en/news-detail.php?id=10-years-of-top-promotion