We. RWTH. Together.

After 19 years, RWTH has a new Chancellor. Thomas Trännapp, who has served as Deputy Chancellor since 2012, is succeeding Manfred Nettekoven in the role. Trännapp has been part of RWTH since 1996, starting his career in the University’s Planning, Development and Controlling Department. His responsibilities now include managing central administration, overseeing the university budget, representing RWTH in legal matters, and handling issues related to facilities, sustainability, environmental protection, and security. The challenges ahead are significant: statewide austerity measures, a shortage of skilled workers, the pressures of digital transformation, and more. In this interview with “keep in touch,” Thomas Trännapp shares his priorities and strategy for the coming years.

The idea is to streamline administrative processes and, more importantly, to strengthen the way administration engages with the broader RWTH community – our professors, departments, and staff.

It’s about asking ourselves some fundamental questions: What exactly are we doing? Are we reaching the people we intend to serve? How is the quality of our work perceived? What services are we really providing? Having open conversations about these questions is tremendously valuable. In my view, RWTH has always been at its strongest when we’ve worked together and communicated honestly – not when everyone operates in isolation.

Can you give us a concrete example of how this kind of open communication can work in practice?

In mid-June, we held a kick-off event at the Super C Building that brought together 200 people from across the University. Fourteen key topics were put on the table for discussion – issues that need urgent attention, such as procurement processes, fault reporting, third-party funding, and contract management.

That meeting was just a starting point, a first collection of pressing topics. There are many more areas where dialogue is needed, and those will follow.

You’ve also mentioned construction and renovation as a major focus of your work. Can you give an example of a building you’d like to prioritize?

The University has recently launched a new initiative called Master Planning for Construction. In developing this plan, we are working closely with key North Rhine-Westphalian state institutions – the Ministry of Culture and Science, the Building and Real Estate Management Authority (BLB), the Ministry of Finance, and NRW Bank – to establish a long-term framework for the University’s physical development based on jointly agreed planning criteria.

Our first priority is to renovate the large natural sciences buildings – physics, biology, and chemistry – that are in urgent need of modernization. The same applies to the computer science building. Computer science has grown dramatically in importance – not only at RWTH, but everywhere. Yet here at our University, it is still housed in an outdated facility. We would like to replace or renovate that building, while also addressing new and additional requirements in the process.

That’s just one challenge. There are also cost-cutting measures and a shortage of skilled workers. How do you see RWTH navigating these issues?

These are challenges for the entire University, not just the administration. It's crucial that we talk openly about them, get everyone on board, and ensure the situation is clear. We need to work together to define our goals and strategies for how to respond.

This will be a real challenge. For decades, our budget has grown steadily, just as the University itself has grown. But now it’s clear: there’s a financial ceiling we cannot exceed. We must figure out – together – how to manage within those limits. It won’t be easy, but I’m convinced that we can handle this as a community.

You’ve also announced a collaboration with Professor Wil van der Aalst, a computer scientist and expert in process mining and process optimization. What will that partnership look like in practice?

We’re still developing the details, but Professor van der Aalst has generously offered his support, which I greatly welcome. External experts often need time to understand a university’s structures before they can really dig in. But Professor van der Aalst and his team already know RWTH well. They can jump in right away, analyze our most important administrative processes, and help identify where things aren’t working as they should. We’ll then work together to explore how to optimize those processes.

We’re already pursuing a similar collaboration with Professor Jan Borchers, also from Computer Science, who is advising us on the design and usability of our software systems.

Working closely with our researchers is something we really value in the administration. Another great example is our energy network optimization project, where we’re partnering with Professors Dirk Uwe Sauer from Electrical Engineering and Dirk Müller from Mechanical Engineering. Energy is, of course, a huge issue for a large university like RWTH, and reorganizing our energy consumption and supply is absolutely essential.

You’ve been at RWTH for a long time – since 1998. You started in the Planning, Development and Controlling Department and studied in Osnabrück. What brought you to Aachen?

After graduating, I worked briefly at a management consultancy in Bremen, where I first encountered big projects and major decision-making. I really enjoyed that. Then I saw a job posting from RWTH for a position measuring quality in teaching. At the time, I had just completed a project on water consumption in Osnabrück, so the RWTH position sounded like an exciting next step. I applied – and got it. Not long after, I met my wife through RWTH’s corporate sports program, playing volleyball. Since then, Aachen has become a wonderful place for me to live.

Do you ever miss northern Germany?

Yes, I miss the water and the fresh breeze. I’m a passionate sailor, and what I miss most here is the sea. I sometimes miss the dry North German humor, which I’ve always enjoyed. But I bring a little of it with me. My Northern German ‘Moin’, a casual hello I still use at the start of meetings, still leaves my Rhineland colleagues a bit puzzled.

Where is your favorite spot on the University campus?

The Campus GmbH meeting room, which we call “the balcony.” From there, you can see the entire Melaten Campus that we’ve developed. You get a wonderful view across Aachen, many of the new buildings we’ve completed, and the expansion areas still to come. You can even see the Lousberg hill. It’s a beautiful place that reminds me both of how far RWTH has come in recent years and of the great potential ahead.

Do you feel you can hand over your former role as Deputy Chancellor to your two successors, Katharina Jochim and Jörg Dautzenberg, with a clear conscience?

Absolutely. My colleagues are highly experienced and very capable. Of course, they’ll approach the role differently than I did, and that’s how it should be. I’m especially pleased that Katharina Jochim has become the first woman on the administrative leadership team. She has been a strong driver of sustainability initiatives at RWTH, while Jörg Dautzenberg is pushing forward digital transformation in administration. Both topics are critical for the future of the University.

I’ve known them both for many years and know exactly what they bring to the table. We work together extremely well as a team.

Mr. Trännapp, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. We look forward to seeing the changes ahead at RWTH.

– Author: Siba Fitzau. Interview conducted in June 2025.