News

Wilo Global WATER AI Academy

Partnership for Water and AI

Two Dortmund-based players want to pool their expertise to address the global challenges of water supply using modern AI technology: To this end, Rector Prof. Manfred Bayer and Oliver Hermes, CEO of Wilo, recently signed a joint letter of intent, marking the start of the collaboration through the Global WATER AI Academy. As part of the cooperation, TU Dortmund University initially plans to offer the “WATER AI” certificate course.

Revisiting Scientific Uncertainty in Science Diplomacy

Interview with finja isabel augsburg

Finja Isabel Augsburg is a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow (Fall 2025) and a doctoral researcher at the University of Erfurt, where she explores the role of science communication in times of socio-scientific crisis. Her work sits at the intersection of international relations and communication studies, with a particular focus on how scientific uncertainty can be communicated effectively to both policymakers and the public.

LiDO4

TU Dortmund University Launches New High-Performance Computer

TU Dortmund University has hosted “LiDO”, a central high-performance computer that forms a fundamental basis for successful research projects and is also used by other institutions in the region, for 20 years. On 17 March, the university, together with Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science, launched the fourth generation of LiDO. To set it up, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have allocated funds of €4.5 million.

Heidelberg University remains University of Excellence

Heidelberg University has convincingly defended its status as a University of Excellence. This means that the university will receive funding for another seven years in order to continue strengthening its scientific and scholarly performance capability based on a strategic concept for the whole institution.

University of Cologne Researcher Jane Reznick from the CECAD Research Cluster of Excellence on Aging Receives Prestigious ERC ‘Proof of Concept’ Grant

The NEWHEART projects develop a new treatment option after heart attacks. European Research Council (ERC) funding of 150,000 euros over 18 months allows researchers to explore the commercial or societal potential of their work.

University of Cologne: 4.4 Million Euros for Research on Rethinking Global Governance and Human Security

The University of Cologne and Nuffield College (Oxford University) launch landmark project on the history of global governance and human security in the 1990s, funded by the Alfred Landecker Foundation.

NXTGN Startup Factory among Europe’s most important Start-up Hubs

The NXTGN Startup Factory ranks 13th in the Financial Times “Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2026” list, which features a total of 180 start-up ecosystems. The NXTGN Startup Factory in Baden-Württemberg with substantial involvement from Heidelberg University, launched in July 2025 as one of ten federal “lighthouse” projects, with the aim of promoting technology-driven start-ups as a central point of contact.