RoHan – Rostock Hanoi DAAD SDG Graduate school - Catalysis as Key towards Sustainable Resource Management


The RoHan DAAD SDG Graduate school enables the development and establishment of catalysis technologies and processes through the training of qualified Vietnamese scientists able to assume leadership positions in both industry and academia.

Crossing borders, strengthening developing countries and conquering inequality are the main motives of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2030 of the United Nations. The major effect can be achieved by educating the future workforces. This, in turn, is either possible by training programs abroad, or by intensive schooling process on-site. Based on the acquired knowledge and expertise, it is possible to improve the living conditions and build up the country’s infrastructure for the coming generations. This is exactly the purpose of the RoHan DAAD SDG Graduate School „Catalysis as key towards Sustainable Resource Development”: scientists’ exchange, training of highly-qualified researchers on state-of-the-art knowledge and ideas in the chemistry field. The University of Rostock together with the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis as cooperation partners in Rostock, along with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Vietnam National University – University of Science as partners in Hanoi have stablished a unique international strategic partnership which, in the long run, increases the visibility and reputation of both Vietnamese universities, not only in Vietnam, but also in the Asian continent.

More precisely, in the RoHan DAAD SDG Graduate School we target SDGs including: the drinking water and sanitation for all, the assurance of sustainable and affordable energy sources, the sustainable management of hydric and terrestrial resources, and the reduction of the environmental impact of human activities. The achievement of these goals is a longstanding enterprise which has to be triggered by addressing of specific caveats and problems, many of which can be solved with catalysis technologies.

Kindly sponsored by the German Service of Academic Exchange (DAAD) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic and Development (BMZ), RoHan will have long lasting and sustainable influence in Rostock and the region, and more importantly, in Hanoi and the ASEAN territories. We hope the RoHan project serves as a lighthouse for the strengthening of the scientific relationship between Vietnam and Germany, to foster novel cooperation’s at the national and international levels.

Development of new curricula in Catalysis with theory and practical-based courses
Practical training of Vietnamese and German students in photocatalytic purification of drinking water
Project coordinator Dr. Esteban Mejia, Prof. Udo Kragl, Prof. Le Minh Thang, Prof. Le thang Son and Dr. Dirk Hollmann