Umbrella Cooperation
Source: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bkdtf/lidx/1 Parent: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bure/lidx/1
Israel Institute of Technology, RWTH Aachen University, and Forschungszentrum Jülich
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Contact
Iris Schümmer
Administrator—Profile Areas
Phone: +49 241 80-20734\ Send Email\
Founded in 1981, the Umbrella Cooperation brings together RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. This strategic alliance was formalized through a cooperation agreement aimed at “strengthening collaboration in science and technology.”
The strategic partnership is designed to advance cross-border research and foster long-term academic exchange. The Technion in Haifa is the oldest university in Israel. Among its about 600 faculty members are three Nobel Prize winners.
All three partner institutions enjoy an excellent international reputation, and the dialogue within the collaboration has already proven to be highly productive, both academically and personally.
To support the partnership’s goals, a range of programs has been established, including the annual symposia and the presentation of the Umbrella Award.
Symposia
From the very beginning, the Umbrella Symposia, dedicated to key research topics, have been a central pillar of collaboration among the partner institutions. Each year, the symposium is hosted by a different partner on a rotating basis, with scientific coordinators appointed according to the thematic focus.
Umbrella Symposium 2025
The 38th Umbrella Symposium was held at RWTH in December 2025, after originally being scheduled for June and postponed due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. From December 9 to 11, researchers from Aachen, Jülich, and Haifa came together in Aachen to exchange ideas on the theme “Advancing Energy Materials and Systems.”
Following an initial exploration of this topic at Forschungszentrum Jülich in 2024, the 2025 symposium took a deeper dive. Under the scientific leadership of professors Dirk Uwe Sauer (RWTH), Michael Eikerling (Forschungszentrum), and Avner Rothschild (Technion), discussions focused on pressing challenges related to climate change, particularly the development of climate-neutral and affordable energy systems. Topics ranged from renewable energy generation and storage technologies to hydrogen applications and CO₂ capture.
Umbrella Award
First presented in 2018, the Umbrella Award, worth €5,000, has since been awarded annually at each symposium. Three outstanding researchers working in the symposium’s key focus area receive this distinction.
This year, Dr. Sonja Mürtz, head of the Electrochemistry Group in Professor Regina Palkovits’s research team, received the award on behalf of RWTH. Her work centers on developing novel electrochemical methods to precisely control chemical reactions and open up new pathways for plastic recycling.
The two additional awards went to Yufan Zhang (Institute of Energy Technologies, Forschungszentrum Jülich) and Charlotte Vogt (Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology).
Umbrella Symposium 2025 in Photos
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Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Heike Lachmann
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2025 Impressions
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Looking Ahead: Umbrella Symposium 2026
The next Umbrella Symposium will take place in Israel in 2026. Details on the upcoming topic will be announced here soon.
Overview of Past Topics
| Year | Location | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aachen | Advancing Energy Materials and Systems |
| 2024 | Jülich | Advancing Energy Materials with State-of-the-Art Analytics and AI |
| 2023 | Haifa | Life Science and Engineering: Data Analytics, Neurosciences and Multiscale Biomedical Engineering |
| 2022 | Aachen | Life Science and Engineering: Data Analytics, Neurosciences and Multiscale Biomedical Engineering |
| 2021 | Aachen | Life Science and Engineering: Data Analytics, Neuroscience and Multiscale Biomedical Engineering (online conference) |
| 2019 | Jülich | Energy Conversion and Energy Storage |
| 2018 | Haifa | Energy Conversion and Energy Storage |
| 2017 | Aachen | Quantum Information and Technology |
| 2016 | Jülich | When Life Sciences and Engineering Converge |
| 2015 | Haifa | Biomaterials and Biohybrids from Basic Research to Medical Applications |
The Umbrella Cooperation broadens our horizons and facilitates international and multidisciplinary efforts to address humanity’s most pressing challenges.
Ute Habel, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at RWTH Aachen University
Umbrella Symposia: Highlights from 2014 to 2023
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella 2023 Impressions
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Umbrella Symposium 2022
Copyright: © Technion
Umbrella Awardees 2023
Copyright: © Andreas Schmitter
Umbrella Symposium 2022
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
The three winners
Copyright: © Iris Schümmer
Speed Dating: Funding & Best Practice
Copyright: © FZ Jülich
Umbrella Symposium 2019
Copyright: © FZ Jülich
Umbrella Symposium 2019
Copyright: © Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
2018
32nd Umbrella Symposium in Haifa
Copyright: © Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
2018
32nd Umbrella Symposium in Haifa
Copyright: © Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
2018
32nd Umbrella Symposium in Haifa
Copyright: © Susanne Römmer
2017
31st Umbrella Symposium in Aachen
Copyright: © Susanne Römmer
2017
31st Umbrella Symposium in Aachen
Copyright: © Andreas Schmitter
2014
28th Umbrella Symposium in Aachen
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Dr. Zita Soons, Prof. Twan Lammers, Prof. Ute Habel, Prof. Joachim Mayer, Prof. Uri Sivan, Prof. Wayne D. Kaplan
Group photo 2023
Dr. Arielle Fischer, Dr. Roger Molto Pallares, Dr.-Ing. Stefan Wiefels holding certificates
Group photo from bird's eye view
Dr. David Mehler, Dr. Gabriela Figueroa Miranda and Assist. Prof. Assaf Zinger
Bird's eye view: People in conversation at the 35th Umbrella Symposium
Ulrich Rüdiger at speaker's desk
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Man at lectern
Several people outdoors in front of display walls
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Four men with gift bags on podium
Man speaking in front of audience
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Summer and Winter School Exchanges
In 2018, the “Umbrella Summer and Winter Schools” were launched alongside the award, where doctoral students and postdocs are supervised by experienced experts from all three institutions on topics of current interest. The schools are dedicated to the central topics of the symposia, allowing young academics to stay connected with colleagues and activities at the other institutions via the symposia after participating in the schools. One of the Umbrella Partnership's main concerns is to promote the international mobility of young scholars. The Summer and Winter Schools are a further step towards achieving this goal.\ \ In addition, the Umbrella Partnership supports exchange trips by Israeli and German academics. Research visits are also an established part of the cooperation and they take place annually.
Delegates for Umbrella
| Technion Haifa | Prof. Noam Adir, Executive Vice President for Research |
| Forschungszentrum Jülich | Prof. Astrid Lambrecht, Chair of the Board of Directors |
| RWTH Aachen University | Prof. Joachim Mayer, Rector’s Delegate for Cooperation with the Technion |