The association builds on the many years of networking between the founding members. The aim of the association is to jointly strengthen and further develop Bochum as a city of knowledge. To this end, the association focusses on encounters, exchange and cooperation between science, the local authority, business and Bochum’s urban society. The first projects have already been launched.
“By founding UniverCity Bochum e.V., we are sending a clear signal in favour of the importance of education, research and innovation in our city. The association is creating the necessary structures to promote an open culture of knowledge in our city and to develop new solutions together,” says Lord Mayor Thomas Eiskirch, who will be active on the association’s board as a representative of the city of Bochum. He is convinced: “This not only strengthens Bochum’s position as a city of knowledge, but also brings added value for the entire urban society. This will make Bochum an even more vibrant and diverse place that effectively meets the challenges of our time.”
Creating dialogue and participation
Encounters, dialogue and cooperation – this is important to all members of UniverCity Bochum e.V.. The association therefore focuses on the development and implementation of dialogue-oriented and participative project formats. The main areas of work are divided into innovation and transformation centre, education and opportunity centre and event and networking centre in order to develop target group-oriented offers. These include qualification programmes for employees from academia, local authorities and business, practical learning formats for students and scientific participation formats for citizens. In addition, UniverCity Bochum e.V. works as a partner institution in the House of Knowledge on the content of the house and designs the respective annual programmes together with the vhs Bochum and the city library.
Christina Reinhardt, Chancellor of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, is looking forward to the future of UniverCity: “The founding of UniverCity Bochum e.V. marks an important step in the co-operation between science and the city. The collaboration and the associated mutual exchange and learning process is the key to developing innovative and sustainable solutions for our city. We look forward to the joint projects and the diverse impulses that will arise from them.” The association is financially supported by ordinary and supporting members. A glance at the list of member institutions of UniverCity Bochum e.V. clearly shows the broad support of the association.
Tim Pfenner, Managing Director of the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), emphasises the importance of the new structure: “We are delighted that CAIS is a full founding member and that the network will strengthen Bochum as an academic location. This is a great development.”
The EBZ Business School, Evangelische Hochschule Rheinland-Westfalen Lippe, Folkwang University of the Arts, Hochschule für Gesundheit, Hochschule Bochum, Ruhr-Universität-Bochum, Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola and Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum in DMT Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung mbH, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for its Fraunhofer IEG, the Max Planck Society for its Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy and the City of Bochum are also full members of the association. The AKAFÖ, Bochum Marketing GmbH, Bochum Wirtschaftsförderung and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Mittleres Ruhrgebiet are involved as supporting members.
Broad support and initial projects
The office of UniverCity Bochum e.V. is located in the Funkhaus at Kortumstraße 68 in Bochum. From there, the team coordinates the organisation’s activities and continues to develop them both strategically and operationally. The first projects have already been launched, including the Shaping Knowledge Together certificate programme, which brings together municipal and academic experts to work together on the challenges of our time. Registration for the summer school Act together! Stand up for a democratic climate discourse. As part of Bochum Marketing’s Dino City III event programme, UniverCity Bochum e.V. is also organising an exciting hands-on programme on 3D printing and VR glasses together with three Bochum MakerSpaces. More information on the association’s activities and future offers can be found on the new website www.univercity-bochum.de.
History and reorganisation
The UniverCity Bochum association emerged in 2009 from what was then the Bochum-hoch-vier university network. Over time, the network has repeatedly undergone further strategic development in order to adapt its services and focus to current needs and developments. With its current strategic reorientation, UniverCity Bochum is now breaking new ground as an independent association and addressing current developments in science, science funding and knowledge-based urban development.