RUB Foundation

The Foundation of Ruhr University Bochum

The RUB Foundation initiates and enables projects in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer, supporting outstanding ideas and talents to help them reach their full potential. Together with committed individuals, the foundation drives innovation and scientific excellence.

Our Vision

The RUB Foundation envisions a Ruhr University Bochum that actively shapes its future: excellent in research, teaching, and transfer, globally connected, committed to democratic values, and sustainable and inclusive in its actions.

To achieve this future, the RUB Foundation serves as a vital catalyst and reliable partner for a university that extends its influence far beyond Bochum into the region and beyond, engaging people, companies, and institutions.

RUB Foundation’s Mission Statement

Find your Personal Way to Get Involved

The RUB Foundation provides the ideal setting for your future engagement. You decide how you’d like to support Ruhr University Bochum – whether you’d like to contribute to the university as a whole or to a specific faculty or subject area of your choice.

Donation

Your donation will be allocated directly to advancing research and education at RUB.

Special-Occasion Donation

Are you celebrating a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or another special occasion? Instead of gifts, you could ask your guests to make a donation to the RUB Foundation in your honor.

A memorial donation is a meaningful way to honor someone you’ve lost. By making a contribution in their memory, you support the RUB Foundation’s work while keeping their legacy alive.

Endowment

By making an endowment contribution to the RUB Foundation’s assets, the principal is preserved in perpetuity. The annual income supports all of the RUB Foundation’s funding areas. The projects to be funded are carefully selected by the foundation’s governing bodies.

Trust Fund or Endowment

If you want to support a specific field of study or research area during your lifetime or through your legacy, we recommend establishing a trust fund or endowment. In these cases, the principal is preserved – the generated income is used to support your designated cause.

Will

By including the RUB Foundation in your will, you create a lasting legacy for research and education at RUB. Your gift demonstrates social responsibility while ensuring your impact endures for generations. Find out more here:

Legacy gift

Let’s find the form of engagement that best suits you. Together, we’ll create the greatest possible impact for our university – and especially for our students.

News from the Foundation

2026 Board of Trustees Meeting

Group photo of the participants in the 2026 RUB Foundation Board of Trustees meeting

At the 2026 meeting in July, members discussed the foundation’s new strategic direction. Key agenda items included the 2025 financial statements and adjustments to the investment strategy in response to current market conditions. The meeting concluded with a highly productive exchange, leading to important decisions that will guide the RUB Foundation’s continued growth and success.

Committees

The RUB Foundation’s volunteer committees deliberate on and decide regarding grants. They also oversee the proper use of the foundation’s funds.

Committees of the RUB Foundation

Executive Board

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Martin Paul, Chairman (Rector)
Dr. Achim Dilling (Chancellor)
Prof. Dr. Kornelia Freitag (Vice-Rector for Teaching and International Affairs)

Board of Trustees

Georg Schachner, Chair of the Board of Trustees (Geschäftsführer RLT Family Office)
Thilo Haarmann, Geschäftsbereich Klimaneutraler Gebäudebestand, Vonovia
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Pellens (Lehrstuhl für Internationale Unternehmensrechnung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum: Seniorprofessor)
Dr. Sabine Schlaeger-Diegel (Geschäftsführende Gesellschafterin, Pentagal Chemie und Maschinenbau GmbH, Bochum)

Current Grants

We are currently not accepting any new grant applications. Thank you for your understanding.

The new funding priorities for 2027 and application guidelines will be published soon.

Further Information

Links and Downloads

RUB Foundation's Mission Statement (German-language)
Will Brochure: Why it’s important to draft your own will and what options are available for including the RUB Foundation in your will (German-language)