For more than 30 years, the windo association in Dortmund has been committed to networking science - now the association is announcing its dissolution. The network was founded in the 1990s to give scientific institutions and universities in the city a voice. In the meantime, the association's work has been integrated into the Science Masterplan and strategically expanded there. In order to avoid duplicating structures, the association was dissolved at the last general meeting.
"The association was founded in 1992 with the aim of networking university and non-university research institutions at the Dortmund location and representing common interests," says Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel, Rector of Fachhochschule Dortmund. For example, windo e.V. initiated the format of the Science Day (2002) and the establishment of a regional dual-career network. The association also focused on raising Dortmund's profile as a family-friendly science location.
"This successful joint work of the partners created the nucleus for taking the city-wide cooperation to the next level and setting up the Science Master Plan," explains the Rector of TU Dortmund University, Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer.
In addition to Dortmund's scientific community, politics, administration, business studies, culture and urban society have been working together in the Science Masterplan since 2011 to further raise Dortmund's profile as a city of science. Twenty-five partner institutions are involved in the Science Masterplan network.
In 2021, Dortmund was the first and so far only German city to receive the "iCapital" award as the European Capital of Innovation for this excellent cooperation, among other things. With the Masterplan 2.0 (2021), the participating institutions have strategically further developed their collaboration.
To avoid duplicate structures, the dissolution of windo e.V. has now been initiated. The dissolution will take place after the end of the lock-up period on 28.07.2026. The university rectors Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel and Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer were elected as liquidators by the assembly. The two former chairmen are thus leading the dissolution of the association. On the basis of the annual and financial reports, the actions of the Executive Board were approved in advance and it was released from its obligations.