Ceremonial Opening | College for Social Sciences and Humanities

Closed event – invited guests only

Founded in 2021 as part of the Research Alliance Ruhr, the College for Social Sciences and Humanities has taken shape as an Institute for Advanced Study, with a design that is unique in Germany: it brings together outstanding international visiting scholars, permanent research professors, and mid-career researchers ‘under one roof’. By the end of 2025, most of the College's professorships are filled with excellent scholars, and the College has welcomed its fourth cohort of renowned international Senior Fellows.

As part of the Ceremonial Opening, the College's researchers will provide insights into their various fields of research, addressing topics such as inequality and memory culture. We are grateful and honoured that invited speakers from other institutions will enrich the programme with their perspectives. In a keynote lecture, Professor Rajani Naidoo (University of Exeter, UK) will elucidate the political dimension of the technological challenges that universities are facing today. The subsequent panel discussion will focus on the role of research institutions in the face of threatened democracies.

Please note that participation in this event is by invitation only.