Ressort Presse

• von Juliana Fischer
• 13.03.2026

The University of Duisburg-Essen is to receive a new centre for its internationally recognised water research: the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Regional Development Fund are funding the FutureWaterCampus. Environment Minister Oliver Krischer today presented a grant notification for 11.5 million euros. The new building will be constructed in the immediate vicinity of the ACTIVE SITES research facility at Thurmfeld in Essen.

NRW Environment Minister Oliver Krischer emphasises the importance of the project: “The internationally successful water research at the University of Duisburg-Essen will be further strengthened by the FutureWaterCampus. Here, outstanding scientists work closely with the water industry. This brings research and practice even closer together. In practical terms, the project helps to solve key future challenges facing the water sector and to implement the state’s future water strategy. That is why we are supporting the project with 11.5 million euros.”

The FutureWaterCampus is designed as a hub for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration. In state-of-the-art biological and chemical laboratories, natural sciences, engineering and social sciences work together with industry partners to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges. The focus is on three scientific priorities:

• Algae research: The University of Duisburg-Essen boasts the world’s largest university algae collection and is an international leader in this field, collaborating with partners such as the University of California, Berkeley.

• Membrane research: As a key technology in modern separation processes, it plays a central role in water treatment as well as in environmental and biotechnology.

• Photocatalysis research: Innovative water purification processes, such as those using light, are being developed.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Dr Barbara Albert, emphasises the societal relevance of the research: “The question of how we manage the resource of water is of essential importance for the future of humanity. Science provides solutions when there is too little, too much or too polluted water available. With the FutureWaterCampus in Essen, we are creating a shared home and excellent conditions for our multidisciplinary cutting-edge research with real impact.”

The new building, approved by the state government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), will create a state-of-the-art infrastructure that closely integrates interdisciplinary research and technological innovation. Funding is provided by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (40 per cent), the ERDF (41 per cent) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (19 per cent from its own funds). Plans include a test hall for large-scale plants, which will enable the transfer of research results from the laboratory to the pilot scale, as well as a think tank and a knowledge hub to strengthen networking and further training.

“The FutureWaterCampus complements the ACTIVE SITES research building in the immediate vicinity and strengthens both applied and basic water research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The physical proximity enables close methodological integration with the catalysis research conducted there under aqueous functional conditions,” says Prof. Dr Torsten C. Schmidt, Chair of the Centre for Water and Environmental Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Further information

Prof. Dr Torsten C. Schmidt, University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Chemistry, Tel: 0201 183 6774, torsten.schmidt@uni-due.de