At the moment, the 220 members of the Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) are spread across numerous sites: at six UDE faculties and four associated institutes, the two neighbouring universities of Bochum and Dortmund, additional national and international universities and research institutes and five universities of applied sciences. Until now, the collaborations have been largely virtual, but that is set to change. The FutureWaterCampus will provide a physical centre in Essen where the scientists can work on joint projects under one roof.

‘Our goal with the new building is to develop a competence centre of European standing for science and practical application,’ explains managing director of the ZWU, Dr. Michael Eisinger. ‘It will be a place where water experts from various disciplines and all kinds of research institutes will team up with partners from practical backgrounds.’

The ZWU brings together researchers from the fields of natural and engineering sciences, economics, social sciences and medicine. The lived experience of interdisciplinarity has one major advantage: it enables a view of entire systems and the development of innovative complete solutions that take into account every aspect, from practicality to social consequences. Unique in Germany is the involvement of economic and municipal representatives, the water boards, water suppliers and specialised bodies of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

The FutureWaterCampus will consist of two parts: a ‘think tank’ with laboratories, seminar rooms and offices designed to promote the exchange of ideas and interaction, plus a hall for large-scale tests, which can be flexibly expanded. This will allow test setups that, for example, simulate the flow of water in a stream and its habitats and hence come close to real conditions. The building will have a total floor space of around 4,000 m² and offer space for 80 workstations. It will be built on the new ‘Am Thurmfeld’ research and innovation campus, which is located to the north of the existing Essen campus.

The design for the building won the North Rhine-Westphalian research infrastructure competition, which is organised by the federal state government to promote the development and expansion of research institutes and centres of competence using funds from the federal state and the European Union. Final approval is expected by the end of the year, with construction planned to start in 2023.