RUHR-UNIVERSITAET BOCHUM

Their core work

Ruhr-Universität Bochum is a major German research university with exceptional strength in cryptography and IT security, materials science and catalysis, and the humanities. Their IT security group is among Europe's strongest, with deep work on post-quantum cryptography, IoT security, and trust services. In parallel, their chemistry and materials science labs drive advances in electrocatalysis, nanoparticles, and supramolecular chemistry. The university also maintains a distinctive humanities research profile, with ERC-funded projects spanning ancient migration, memory studies, and manuscript transmission — an unusual combination that reflects a genuinely broad research institution.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), RUB's portfolio was heavily anchored in cryptography and cybersecurity — post-quantum crypto, IoT security, cloud security, and reconfigurable HPC architectures. By the later period (2019–2022), the focus shifted markedly toward natural sciences: electrocatalysis, nanoparticles, systems biology, and cosmology (weak gravitational lensing, photometric redshifts). The humanities strand remained consistent throughout, but the security-to-chemistry pivot is the most striking evolution.

RUB is pivoting from its established IT security base toward chemistry, catalysis, and fundamental natural sciences — future collaborators should expect strong capacity in both domains for at least the next funding cycle.

How they like to work

RUB coordinates 36% of its projects — unusually high for a university, signaling strong project management capability and willingness to lead consortia. With 776 unique partners across 51 countries, they operate as a major hub rather than sticking to a small circle of repeat collaborators. Their funding mix of ERC grants (20 projects, both Starting and Advanced) alongside large MSCA training networks and multi-partner RIA actions shows they are equally comfortable running individual excellence grants and orchestrating large collaborative efforts.

RUB has built one of the broader university networks in H2020, connecting with 776 distinct partners across 51 countries. Their reach is truly pan-European with significant links beyond the EU, reflecting both their large MSCA training networks and their strong humanities programs with global scope.

What sets them apart

RUB's distinctive strength is the rare combination of world-class IT security research with deep materials science and catalysis capabilities — few European universities can credibly contribute to both a cybersecurity consortium and an electrochemistry project. Their strong humanities wing (multiple ERC grants in migration, memory, and manuscript studies) adds another dimension that most technical universities lack entirely. For consortium builders, RUB offers a single institutional partner that can fill multiple disciplinary slots with genuine depth.

Highlights from their portfolio

• JEWSEAST
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.85M ERC Advanced), coordinated by RUB — demonstrates their capacity to win and manage top-tier individual research grants in the humanities.
• BASTION
  EUR 1.47M ERC project on binary analysis for IoT security — represents their flagship cybersecurity expertise applied to a high-impact real-world domain.
• XBCBCAT
  EUR 1.5M ERC project on supramolecular chemistry and organocatalysis — anchors their materials/chemistry pillar and shows they attract ERC funding across very different disciplines.