IHS-Workshop „University - Society - Transformation“ Date: , Theme: Workshop
This year's IHS presence workshop in Berlin focused on the role of universities in shaping current transformation processes. In discussions and presentations, the participants reflected on their roles in the transformation fields of digitalization, social change and sustainability.
After a welcome by the Vice President of the BHT, Prof. Dr. Joachim Villwock, and Minister Peter Greisler from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Mayor of Wuppertal, Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind, introduced the workshop with a pointed keynote speech. As Lord Mayor and former Director of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Prof. Dr. Schneidewind deals with questions of transformative change from a local political and scientific perspective. In his opinion, universities as places of “transformative science” should take up current social issues and make the transfer from their “third mission” to their “first mission”.
Following the keynote speech, the approximately 80 participants were given an insight into the IHS projects ZukunftStadt and TrICo in two best-practice presentations. Lisa Jakobi (ZukunftStadt) presented the various project approaches for co-designing urban society and invited them to visit the BHT's “Glasbox” maker space. In her presentation, she showed that the proportion of visitors from outside academia has risen steadily since the Glasbox opened in 2022 and now outweighs.
In a panel discussion entitled “Between ivory tower and engine of change: universities in social transformation processes”, practice partners exchanged views with representatives of the funded universities. Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences advocated the dialogical development of research questions and transfer topics at eye level with social stakeholders. The joint work on innovative solutions should be open-ended and transdisciplinary and also allow for a reflective culture of error. As an example, she referred to the real-world laboratory that was created as part of the IHS project “Co-Site” at the TH Köln.
On both days, the participants also engaged in lively discussions in formats of collegial exchange about what expectations non-university stakeholders have of the universities and how these can be reconciled with the project's own expectations and goals. How can mutual trust be strengthened in order to establish an exchange and subsequently a stable collaboration? Finally, in a troubleshooting session, solutions were jointly developed for typical challenges that arise in the projects in the thematic context of transformation processes.
