The NRW state budget was passed at the end of last year. A commitment appropriation of EUR 432.5 million was included in the Fachhochschule Dortmund chapter of the budget. This commitment authorization ensures the financing of upcoming construction measures through rental payments from state funds.
Fachhochschule Dortmund is in the process of implementing the new master plan for university construction in North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to make university construction in the state more efficient and significantly faster. Previous content and findings from the University Location Development Plan (HSEP) are being incorporated into the new master plan, supplemented by a profitability analysis, which is being supported by the Ministry of Finance.
By the end of 2025, the UAS and the Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW (BLB NRW) had developed the first process steps of the master plan and prioritized the requirements. This includes the structural analysis and development, the calculation and balance of space requirements and the structural condition assessment.
In the next steps, a space program and in-depth requirements planning are drawn up for all the requirements considered in the prioritization decision. This is followed by utility value analyses and economic feasibility studies for each prioritized measure in close coordination between all those involved in the process. At the same time, BLB NRW, as the owner of the site, is clarifying the planning rights on the campus.
Only when the written agreement between MKW, BLB NRW and our UAS has been concluded can the concrete implementation planning begin.
+++ Update +++ (January 15, 2026)
In an interview with the Ruhr Nachrichten (RN subscription required)(Opens in a new tab) , NRW Science Minister Ina Brandes provided further details on the schedule and implementation of the construction measures.
She expects the binding agreement between Fachhochschule Dortmund, BLB NRW and the Ministry of Culture and Science to be signed in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. The agreement on the program of measures will give the university certainty about the measures to be implemented and the funds available for this. At the same time, this creates the basis for utilizing the commitment authorization - this must be done by the end of 2026.
Minister Brandes is also confident about the start of construction: "From today's perspective, the aim is to have the excavators rolling by 2029 at the latest," she said in the interview. The subsequent construction period is estimated to take around two to two and a half years. The commitment authorization of 432.5 million euros included in the NRW budget explicitly refers to the first construction phase, which is to replace the complex on Sonnenstrasse.