JARA: Progress and development at a glance
Since its foundation in 2007, the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) has continuously evolved. What began as a national partnership between RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich has grown into an internationally connected research collaboration. This transformation is reflected in numerous projects and initiatives that involve global partners and open up new international perspectives.
International
One example is the International Master’s Programme in Energy and Green Hydrogen, which trains young African professionals to become energy experts and fosters knowledge exchange between continents. The ENTRANCE project focuses on collaboration with Chinese partners — often under challenging conditions — aiming to establish a culture of facilitation, trust, and security in international cooperation. Another longstanding initiative is the Umbrella Cooperation, a partnership of several decades dedicated to cross-border exchange and peaceful research.
Focussed
Alongside its internationalisation, JARA has also refined the thematic focus of its research activities. A notable example is JARA-FAME, a research area established in 2013. Following the spin-off of nuclear physics from the Jülich research portfolio, the JARA-FAME section was subsequently discontinued.
Dynamic
Beyond providing a platform for excellent research, JARA offers room for ongoing development, evaluation, and strategic adjustment. This flexibility has proven invaluable, enabling the alliance to respond dynamically, creatively, and purposefully to new challenges while continuously learning from experience.
History of the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance
The Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) was established in 2007 as a strategic research cooperation between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University. With the signing of the first JARA agreement, both partners laid the foundation for close, cross-institutional collaboration in key areas of science.
In its founding year, three research areas were established: JARA-BRAIN (Neurosciences), JARA-FIT (Future Information Technologies), and JARA-SIM (Computational Science and Simulation). A fourth section, JARA-ENERGY, dedicated to energy research, followed in 2008.
Between 2009 and 2013, JARA continued to grow and achieved important milestones. The Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C) was expanded, and the German Research School for Simulation Sciences (GRS) officially opened. As part of a strategic reorganisation, the research area JARA-SIM was renamed JARA-HPC (High-Performance Computing).
Another key development was the laying of the foundation stone for the Helmholtz Nanoelectronic Facility (HNF), an important step for nanoelectronics. The state-of-the-art PICO electron microscope was also inaugurated, setting new standards in materials research. During this phase, the first two JARA Senior Professorships were awarded — a format for promoting outstanding researchers beyond retirement. Additionally, JARA expanded its research portfolio with the establishment of a fifth research area, JARA-FAME (Forces and Matter Experiments), dedicated to fundamental experimental physics.
From 2014 to 2018, cooperation within JARA was further intensified and structurally consolidated. A key milestone was the signing of the foundational framework agreement for the JARA Institutes, providing an institutional basis for joint institutes between RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. In this context, four JARA Institutes with associated JARA Professorships were established.
The launch of JARA-SOFT marked the Alliance’s entry into soft matter research. At the same time, the JARA Centre for Simulation and Data Science (JARA-CSD) evolved from the former JARA-HPC section and has since served as the central platform for high-performance computing and data-driven science within the Alliance. Two additional JARA Senior Professorships were also awarded during this period.
A major milestone for JARA was the renewed designation of RWTH Aachen University as a University of Excellence in 2019. This success was driven by the acquisition of several Clusters of Excellence, many of which involve significant contributions from JARA. Two of these research clusters are a direct result of collaborations within the Alliance, underscoring the scientific strength and appeal of the partnership between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University.
Since 2022, the activities of JARA have also been shaped by the lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite these challenges, the Alliance has driven forward important initiatives with an international focus. These include the International Master’s Programme in Energy and Green Hydrogen (IMP-EGH) and the ENTRANCE cooperation project, both of which address forward-looking topics and further expand JARA’s global research network.
At the same time, the Alliance has refined its strategic focus: the JARA-FAME research area was discontinued to concentrate resources on key future-oriented topics. Another milestone followed in 2025 when RWTH Aachen University successfully secured a new round of Clusters of Excellence within Germany’s Excellence Strategy.