Partnership profile

Resource-saving provision of energy and heat and sustainable mobility concepts – densely populated metropolises in particular, such as the Ruhr region, benefit from technological innovations in the fields of energy and mobility. This is because they help to reduce air and noise pollution in urban centres and thus create a better quality of life for the residents there. The ruhrvalley interdisciplinary research and innovation partnership  has set itself the task of developing and implementing new energy and mobility concepts for metropolitan regions.  

It is no coincidence that the name of the partnership is a reference to the modern Mecca of information and communication technologies. The spirit of early Silicon Valley shapes the way the partnership sees itself: “We see ourselves as a community of committed scientists and start-ups who work together to develop sustainable technologies, processes and products in the fields of energy and mobility for metropolitan regions,” says Carsten Wolff, professor of computer engineering at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts and spokesman for the ruhrvalley partnership. “Our vision is to establish the Ruhr region worldwide as an outstanding technology and innovation hub. In doing so, we want to provide impetus for the transformation of the former steel and mining region.”

To this end, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Westphalian University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen, Bocholt, Recklinghausen have joined forces with around 20 young medium-sized companies from the region. Many of the companies involved are spin-offs that were founded from the university institutes. The ruhrvalley partnership was born in the summer of 2016, when the BMBF announced the FH-Impuls funding competition with the theme of strong universities of applied sciences providing impulse for the region. At that time, the universities had already been closely collaborating with each other and with selected medium-sized companies in the region. So it made sense to expand the cooperation and to compete together in this tendering process. And it was a success: ruhrvalley won the funding competition and secured the accompanying funding of 4.95 million euros through 2020. The consortium of universities and businesses invests the funds in targeted projects that are relevant to demand and application. The focus in this regard is on linking renewable energies and electromobility with innovative digitisation technologies.

Big advantages for small companies

For example in the ruhrvalley project NetLab – Networked Development and Testing Laboratory. The aim of this project is to develop a digitised, location-independent test system for electric-vehicle components. This virtual test system is intended to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the automotive supplier industry to test individual vehicle parts developed by them in the overall system – without having to install a complex physical test facility. This innovation enables SMEs to save time, resources and costs and thus improve their competitive position. To illustrate this, the ruhrvalley partners involved developed a so-called demonstration model – a prototype of the virtual test system. In addition to the three universities, the project partners involved are Scienlab electronic systems GmbH, Auktora GmbH, XingSYS GmbH, Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH and Voltavision GmbH.

When heat becomes intelligent

Another example of ruhrvalley’s work is the Smart Solar Geothermal Energy Grid Ruhr (GeoSmaGriR) project, which focuses on the sustainable use of heat from renewable sources such as solar energy and geothermal energy. The aim of GeoSmaGriR is to integrate a sustainable heat supply into existing infrastructures and to provide user-specific information and control options – in short, the implementation of an intelligent heat supply system that provides heat from renewable sources via existing channels, such as district heating networks, exactly when it is needed. Seasonal excess heat is to be stored in the mine buildings of the former black-coal mining industry. If required, the heat can be extracted by heat pumps and fed into the supply systems. In addition to the three universities, the companies Geomecon GmbH and com2m GmbH are also partners in the project.

Win-win situation for everyone involved

These and many other projects within the framework of the ruhrvalley partnership benefit not only the participating universities and companies, but also the entire Ruhr region with its some five million inhabitants. “As a university of applied sciences, it is naturally very important to us to closely link research and practice,” says Carsten Wolff. “ruhrvalley offers optimal conditions to do so. The results of university research can be directly developed into innovative products and solutions within the companies. This practical relevance of course also attracts students, to whom we can offer the best conditions for a practice-oriented education through such partnerships.”

And the companies? They benefit from the active transfer of ideas and knowledge with the universities and the integration of dedicated scientists and young professionals in their development processes. The symbiosis between universities and companies pays off not least for the Ruhr metropolitan region: new companies are constantly being founded from the network, thus creating additional jobs. The existing companies, in turn, are expanding their market position and thereby also ensuring healthy growth in the region.

The residents of the Ruhr region also benefit directly from the innovations in the fields of renewable energies and electromobility – for example through the conversion of public transport to electromobility, which is a long-term goal and to which the ruhrvalley community is making a decisive contribution with its work. Or, for instance, through the intelligent use of sustainably generated heat. Both reduce air pollution and noise and thus contribute to a better quality of life in the area.

Beyond these tangible advantages, ruhrvalley is also doing something really significant: establishing the Ruhr region as an internationally recognised technology and innovation hub. Ultimately, the ruhrvalley partnership thus enhances the profile of the entire region, which, over the long term, will attract more innovative companies and dedicated skilled workers and spur the growth of the region – in the spirit of Silicon Valley, which once started out small and is now the global centre for information and communication technologies.