Ressort Presse

• von Astrid Bergmeister
• 04.11.2024

The opening of the Research Center One Health Ruhr by Minister-President Hendrik Wüst MdL and NRW Science Minister Ina Brandes today sets new standards for interdisciplinary and internationally competitive cutting-edge research in health, the environment and society. The approach is novel: the Research Center One Health Ruhr will investigate the complex interactions between human health and environmental health. Eight of the planned 14 research professorships have already been filled by outstanding international scientists at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Ruhr University Bochum and the TU Dortmund. The three partners of the University Alliance Ruhr jointly support the Research Center One Health Ruhr as part of the Research Alliance Ruhr.

Minister-President Hendrik Wüst MdL and NRW Minister of Science Ina Brandes opened the new research centre in Essen today, 4 November 2024, and see this as confirmation of NRW's pioneering role in the systemic research approach of ‘One Health Ruhr’. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst: ‘More than any other field of research, health research directly benefits people. And that is precisely why we are committed to further expanding the leading position we hold in North Rhine-Westphalia in this field. With the Research Center One Health of the Research Alliance Ruhr, we are taking another important step in this direction as a state. The approach of One Health Ruhr, to combine forces and focus on interdisciplinary research, strengthens North Rhine-Westphalia as a research location and sets new standards in international comparison. This is another reason why renowned scientists from all over the world come to North Rhine-Westphalia to advance their research projects.’

Minister of Innovation, Science and Research Ina Brandes: ‘Coal mining has helped the people in the Ruhr area and throughout Germany to achieve great prosperity. Today, research and science as a raw material ensure good jobs, prosperity and social security. That is why I am particularly pleased that we are opening the first research centre of the University Alliance Ruhr on the premises of Zeche Zollverein.’

Eight research professorships have already been filled by outstanding international scientists. The rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Dr. Barbara Albert, the rector of the Ruhr University Bochum, Prof. Dr. Martin Paul, and the rector of the TU Dortmund, Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer, emphasise the strength of the Ruhr as a science location: ‘In the age of the Anthropocene, living conditions on our planet are changing for humans and nature. In particular, when it comes to taking a holistic view of such a complex topic as health, the complementary strengths of the three partners of the UA Ruhr are of central importance in order to illuminate all levels, from the molecule to the organism to the system. As universities, we are meeting our responsibility for the future by developing science-based solutions through innovative and interdisciplinary research. This task is so important, diverse and extensive that the collaboration of three universities is not only useful, but absolutely necessary.’

Prof. Dr. Schadendorf, Director of One Health Ruhr, explains the scientific concept: The One Health Ruhr research centre investigates how environmental changes affect human health. In the three areas of aquatic ecology, molecular oncology and cognitive neuroscience, we investigate how pollutants in water contribute to the development of cancer and how the design of ecosystems can create recreational spaces that promote mental health. Particularly in industrial regions such as the Ruhr area, the renaturation of watercourses can be of great value both medically and psychologically. Our goal is to understand the environment as an essential health factor and to develop sustainable strategies for promoting physical and mental health in the region.

The opening event provides further insights into the development of the One Health Ruhr Research Center: Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, former President of the Max Planck Society and, as of this year, Chair of the newly founded International Advisory Board of the University Alliance Ruhr, explains how, as a member of the Ruhr Conference initiated by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2018, he helped to establish the research alliance of the three Ruhr universities of Duisburg-Essen, Bochum and Dortmund.

Three of the newly appointed professors will then discuss with the Chairman of the Emschergenossenschaft, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Paetzel, and the Dean of the Medical Faculty of the UDE, Prof. Dr. Jan Buer, as well as the founding director Prof. Dr. Onur Güntürkün, how the research of One Health Ruhr will make a difference in the future, tangibly and in very specific ways.

Further information about the Research Center One Health Ruhr

One Health Ruhr is led by the three founding directors Prof. Dr. Dirk Schadendorf,

Prof. Dr. Bernd Sures and Prof. Dr. Onur Güntürkün. The plan is to fill 14 new research professorships in the fields of molecular biology, molecular cancer research, cognitive neuroscience and aquatic ecology. Internationally successful top-level scientists have already been recruited for eight of these professorships:

Prof. Dr. Ralf Schäfer (Ecotoxicology), Prof. Dr. Alexander Probst (Environmental Metagenomics), Prof. Dr. Kathrin Thedieck (Metabolism, Senescence & Autophagy), Dr. Amelie Heuer-Jungemann (Hybrid Bionanosystems , from 2025), Prof. Dr. Helen Blank (Predictive Cognition), Prof. Dr. Dirk Scheele (Social Neuroscience), Prof. Dr. Caspar Schwiedrzik (Cognitive Neurobiology) and Prof. Dr. Lucia Melloni (Predictive Brain). Further appointments with a focus on Cell Biology & Human Disease, Tumour Metabolism & Microenvironment, Freshwater Ecosystem Health and Oncological Proteometabolomics will follow in the next two years.

Contact

Astrid Bergmeister, Press Officer, University of Duisburg-Essen

Press Office, Staff Unit of the Rectorate, University Management and Communication

Tel. 0203/37 9-2430, astrid.bergmeister@uni-due.de