[Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer] Research Centre
(from left to right: Dr. Ilka Roose, Dr. Bettina König, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting, Dr. Christine Hobelsberger, Dr. Thomas Göttert)
The [Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer] Research Centre is a scientific institution of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). It is funded by the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (MWFK) under the institutional contract between the university and the state (January 2020-December 2023).
Sustainable development is not created in a test tube, but needs to be practised and tested. How can researchers and practitioners work together? How do they learn from and with one other, and how can this dialogue be meaningfully encouraged? These are the questions that the [Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer] Research Centre is exploring using the concept of sustainability transfer.
(Prof. Matthias Barth, President of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development)
The Research Centre aims to provide a scientific basis for the concept of sustainability transfer, to further define this concept and to position the HNEE’s activities in the international research discourse on sustainability transformation. The Research Centre will bring together and further develop the university’s diverse initiatives in these areas with a focus on both concepts and empirical findings. This will enable the HNEE to better understand its role in sustainability transformation across universities and disciplines and to highlight its contributions accordingly. In this way, the Research Centre creates impetus for the implementation of the HNEE’s transfer strategy and works closely with the InnoSupport Forschung | Gründung | Transfer service unit.
The Research Centre’s interdisciplinary team reflects the combined expertise of the social, natural and engineering sciences at the HNEE, and also creates a space for inter- and transdisciplinary research and dialogue for practitioners and scientists from outside the HNEE.
With its projects, activities, publications, and its own discussion paper series the Research Centre contributes to the development and spread of knowledge and expertise related to sustainability transfer and transformation.
Please find our annual report for the year 2022 here.
Projects
"Logbuch der Veränderungen" (Logbook of changes)
Changes in day-to-day life are evident everywhere due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, how they are perceived and what effects they have on individuals is being researched in the citizen science project “Logbuch der Veränderungen”. The “Logbuch der Veränderungen” is accessible online. Citizens can participate with a pseudonym to prevent the sender from being identified: https://logbuch-der-veraenderungen.org/
If you have any questions, the HNEE team can be reached by e-mail at: logbuch@hnee.de
Socio-economic and ecological situation assessment of plastic mulches in asparagus production systems in Germany and resulting recommendations
The aim of the project is to create a knowledge base (situation description) that is validated in a participatory research process by practitioners and researchers, including an assessment of conflicting socio-economic and ecological interests and possible solutions for the use of agricultural films in fruit and vegetable farming, using asparagus in Germany as an example. The project is designed to be open-ended and conflict-sensitive. A conceptually structured and empirically based overall understanding of the system will be developed to identify, map, locate and describe the need for research, innovation and change. The aim is to provide guidance for decision-makers on evidence-based policy development and implementation, e.g. on appropriate formats for research, practical testing, knowledge transfer and appropriate participation in society and communication. The project is funded by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung – BLE) (Ref.: 2821HS006, July 2021-March 2022).
Project management: Dr Bettina König (bettina.koenig@hnee.de).
Sustainability transfer study
The sustainability transfer study is part of the survey and needs assessment of transfer activities at the HNEE with a focus on sustainability. It serves, on the one hand, as a point of departure and an important basis for the work of the Research Centre [STT] with regard to the development of the concept of sustainability transfer and its exploration from a scientific perspective. On the other hand, this initial empirical basis can also serve as a foundation for a discussion of the normative and strategic focus of the HNEE itself. You can find the results here:
Demele, Uwe; Nölting, Benjamin; Crewett, Wiebke; Georgiev, Georgi (2021). Sustainability Transfer as a Concept for Universities in Regional Transformation - A Case Study. In: Sustainability 2021, 13, 4956. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094956
Roose Ilka, Nölting Benjamin, König Bettina, Demele Uwe, Crewett Wiebke, Georgiev Georgiev, Göttert Thomas, unter Mitarbeit von Hobelsberger, Christine (2022) Nachhaltigkeitstransfer – ein Konzept für Wissenschafts-Praxis-Kooperationen. Eine empirische Potentialanalyse am Beispiel der Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde. Eberswalde: Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (Diskussionspapier-Reihe Nachhaltigkeitstransformation & Nachhaltigkeitstransfer, Nr. 02/22). https://doi.org/10.57741/opus4-272
Short study on the sustainability potential of digital municipal platforms
Digital platforms are becoming an important part of municipal services of general interest. If applied properly, platform-based services can represent an effective control instrument for sustainable municipal development. Under the program "Transformation Roadmap Digitization and Sustainability" (CO:DINA), together with colleagues from the Weizenbaum-Institute and Nicole Wolf, Sustainable Digital Solutions and HNEE, the [Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer] Research Centre has developed a catalogue of criteria which provides a helpful basis for the description and examination of sustainability potential and risks of different platform models. The short study “Sustainable design of municipal platforms. Catalogue of criteria for platforms in the service of sustainable digital services of general interest" is available (in German language) here .