In 2019, to mark its 50th anniversary, TU Dortmund University launched the “initial spark” lecture series. The format, which is supported financially by the Wilo-Foundation, invites high-ranking scientists – i.e. winners of the Nobel Prize or Leibniz Prize – to come to TU Dortmund University, where they give insightful lectures on various academic subjects and take questions from the audience afterwards.

The first lecture of the series was given on 24 May 2019 by Professor Frances Arnold, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. More than 950 interested participants listened to her lecture on the topic of “Innovation by Evolution: Expanding the Protein Universe” in the auditorium maximum of TU Dortmund University.

Since its founding 50 years ago, TU Dort­mund  University has developed a special profile encompassing 16 faculties ranging from science and engineering to social sciences and culture studies. The university has about 34,500 students and 6,300 employees, including 300 professors, and offers about 80 degree programmes. In its research activities, TU Dortmund University is particularly strong in four profile areas: Materials, Production Technology and Logistics, Chemical Biology, Drug Research and Process Engineering, Data Analysis, Modelling and Simulation and Education, Schooling and Inclusion. Up until its 50th anniversary, TU Dortmund University ranked third in the “Top 50 under 50” QA ranking for newly founded German universities.