Activities​​​​​​​

Scientific symposium on the topic of "Sustainable development of the Berlin-Szczecin axis"

Between September 22 and 23, 2024, a scientific symposium on the topic of "Sustainable development of the Berlin-Szczecin axis" will take place at the University of Szczecin. The aim of this event is to foster interdisciplinary exchange were different perspectives from the Polish and German sides are presented and discussed. Participating institutions in addition to the HNEE and the University of Szczecin include the West Pomeranian University of Technology and the University of Greifswald. The event is sponsored by the German-Polish Science Foundation (DPWS). Interested persons should register by September 2 by contacting Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting (benjamin.noelting@hnee.de). Further information about the event can be found here: Coference-outline-Berlin-Szczecin-Axis-24-08-12.pdf 

Two papers on urban ecology published, May 2024

In May 24, two peer-reviewed papers on the topic of urban ecology were published.

Together with colleagues from Berlin's Humboldt University, T. Göttert published an article on changes in ecological parameters of bat communities along an urban-rural gradient from the center of Berlin to the western periphery of Berlin and the surrounding area of the federal state of Brandenburg. The paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports and is freely available for download: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61317-7

The HNEE supported the publication by compensating the article processing charge - T. Göttert deeply acknowledges this kind support!

Together with Prof. Gad Perry from Texas Tech University, T. Göttert wrote a review on rapid evolutionary processes in urban settings, which appeared in the journal Diversity and can be accessed at the following link: https://doi.org/10.3390/d16060308

Innovative forms of cooperation – blog post at Bertelsmann Stiftung

As part of a blog of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Ilka Roose and Benjamin Nölting report on innovative forms of cooperation and the role universities can play in the development and implementation of innovations for sustainable development. The article deals, among other things, with the question of how practice-university collaborations succeed and uses the joint project “InNoWest – Einfach machen! Gemeinsam nachhaltig und digital in Nord-West-Brandenburg”, in which the HNEE, together with the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences and the Brandenburg University of Technology, specifically design transfer in the region of North and West Brandenburg.

The blog post can be found here: https://fosteringinnovation.de/unter-der-lupe-wissenschafts-praxis-kooperationen-fuer-eine-nachhaltige-entwicklung/

On real-world laboratories for sustainable development

The conference “Reallabore – ExperimentierRäume für den Weg in eine nachhaltige Gesellschaft” took place from April 11th to 12th, 2024 in the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden.

The Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development e. V. conference organized by the “Real Labs of Sustainability” network, in which the HNEE is also registered, aimed to continue the discourse on real laboratories in research and practice as well as the associated conceptual, methodological and practical questions. In addition, a space was created for dialogue between researchers and practitioners in order to bring together the different experiences and perspectives of the participants.

In addition to the diverse input from the projects presented, it was very exciting for the participants of the Research Center [Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer] to follow the energetic discourse on the variety of definitions of real-world laboratories and the difficulties associated with them. Thematically, it ranged from “learning, reflection and the inner culture of sustainability” to “measuring the impact of real-world laboratories”, to “real-world laboratories and experiments as conflict spaces”, “political-regulatory test rooms” and of course up to “real-world laboratories as a transdisciplinary research approach”.

It remains to be noted that real-world laboratories and experiments are becoming increasingly relevant as a transdisciplinary method of sustainable development. Thank you for this highly informative and very pleasant conference on real-world laboratories!

DFG network Leverage Points for Climate Action launched

From the perspective of the leverage approach, the network of interdisciplinary young scientists will focus on the following three key areas: "Re-connect: fostering mindful connections between people and ecosystems", "Re-think: production and use of knowledge, especially in the context of transdisciplinary processes" and "Re-structure: institutional reform, collapse and renewal, including measures targeting structural or systemic changes". The highlight of the 18-month network period will be three workshops on the above-mentioned topics at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, the Thünen Institute in Rostock and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. FZ research centre employee and InNoWest coordinator Dr. Ilka Roose contributed to the application and is a member of the network.

Research center participates in 1^st meeting of the scientific working group on ecological connectivity of Mozambique, March 4, 2024

Th. Göttert participated in an event conducted by a joint initiative involving Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe aiming to establish a transboundary conservation area between the three mentioned countries.

Prof. Bettina König (employee at the research center until summer 2023) leads the organizing committee for conducting an international workshop on the topic “Transitions towards sustainable agriculture and food systems: Connecting research and practice”. The focus is on the following questions: What have we actually achieved and learned so far through the many initiatives in research, policy and practice around agri-food sustainability transitions? What knowledge is needed to inform actors and society on feasible pathways to feed the changing world in a sustainable manner and how can we stimulate these? The event will take place between October 7th and 9th, 2024 at the University of Kassel. Contact: SISA-4@uni-kassel.de  Download: www.uni-kassel.de/go/ninte

Research Center [NTT] is participating in another paper on the distribution of ungulates in Limpopo National Park, Mozambique

Aerial surveys, camera trap and dung count data were combined to investigate, how ecological and anthropogenic factors influence the distribution of 6 selected large herbivore (LH) species in Limpopo National Park (LNP), Mozambique. Results confirm the significance of ecological factors for LH distribution and show that anthropogenic disturbances seemed to either (partially) prevent the occurrence of LH or hold the potential for human wildlife conflict. Results may be used to assess future changes of LH distribution in the landscape. The article was published in the journal Ecosphere (Wiley) and can be found here:

​https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4770

HNEE kindly covered the article processing charge for this open access publication, which is deeply appreciated by the corresponding author. It's great that HNEE has developed support structures for this increasingly relevant form of publication.

New publication „Nachhaltige Entwicklung von Hochschulen. Erkenntnisse und Perspektiven zur gesamtinstitutionellen Transformation“ (2024)

Published by Prof. Dr. Marco Rieckmann, University of Vechta; Dr. Bror Giesenbauer, University of Bremen; Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development; Prof. Dr. Thomas Potthast, University of Tübingen; Dr. Claudia T. Schmitt.

The anthology shows what contribution universities can make to sustainable development in the areas of teaching, research, transfer and operations. He examines the question of how the overall institutional sustainable development of universities can succeed. The basis is the research results from the joint project “Nachhaltigkeit an Hochschulen (HOCHN)” with eleven German universities.

The book is aimed at university management, university management, teachers and researchers who want to analyze and advance sustainable development at (their) universities and colleges of applied research.

Open Access (DOI: 10.3224/8474255) (CC BY 4.0)

DG HochN Hub: Presentation of a method for mapping sustainability transfer

As part of a virtual hub hosted by DG HochN on Jan. 24, 2024, Thomas Göttert and Christine Hobelsberger presented a method developed to record and map sustainability transfer. This mapping can be a suitable communication tool so that representatives from a wide range of disciplines, status groups and universities can jointly and intrinsically motivated develop new perspectives on the topic of sustainability transfer, visualize and grasp the diversity and complexity of these activities and make them more tangible for science and practice. Around 50 people took part in this event.

A discussion paper provides further information on the method: https://doi.org/10.57741/opus4-666

Interested "Lanus" used "Blockwoche" for Zoo excursions

On December 4th and 5th, 2023, Th. Göttert from the research center led excursions to the Eberswalde Zoo. As in the previous year, interested students (the event was facultative) in the bachelor's degree program "Landscape Use and Nature Conservation" had the opportunity to discuss important zoological aspects and to deepen the teaching content from the lecture as part of the so-called block week. In particular, it was important to reflect on selected animal species' ecological adaptations and to become aware of their distribution patterns against the background of the Earth's biogeographical regions. Unfortunately, the voluntary enclosure cleaning planned for December 5th had to be canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions.

“Barnim bees” attract numerous Eberswalde citizens to the HNEE

The second evening event took place on November 28th as part of a cooperation between Kreisvolkshochschule (VHS) Barnim and the Research Center [NTT]. Under the heading “Barnimer Bienen: Wir dienen ihnen und sie uns - nachhaltig”, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schulz and Annalena Schreib from the HNEE as well as HNEE alumnus Frederik Rothe provide exciting insights into the ecology of the numerous species that are subsumed under the umbrella term “bees”. After the lectures on honey and wild bees, citizens and university members were able to look at display cases and specimens and exchange ideas with the speakers. It was warming to hear interesting facts about bees on this cold winter evening. The Research Center and the VHS Barnim are already planning further events for the coming year, because the good response has shown that this format should definitely be further developed.

Joint event series of VHS Barnim and HNEE successfully started

Research center introduces itself to delegation from the Western Balkan, October 10, 2023

HNEE is part of the 1FUTURE (Erasmus+) project, which is carried out in cooperation with several EU and Western Balkan universities. On October 10th and 11th, 2023, a study visit by around 25 professors from universities in the participating Western Balkan countries took place in Eberswalde. In this context, Dr. Thomas Göttert presented important activities of the research center during a talk on October 10th, which met with interest from the delegation from the Western Balkans.

Research center participates in reverberation with Prof. Dr. Flurina Schneider, October 10, 2023

As part of the third reverberation, Prof. Dr. Flurina Schneider, scientific director of the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), gave a highly acclaimed lecture on strategies for dealing with multiple understandings of sustainability at the HNEE on October 10, 2023. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting from the Research Center moderated a subsequent open discussion, which, among other things, addressed questions about dealing with different sustainability models in the course of scientific work. This was followed by an exclusive round of discussions with researchers and university lecturers led by Prof. Nölting. This final session was moderated by Kerstin Lehmann from InnoSupport and, in addition to Prof. Schneider and professors from the HNEE, several people associated with the research center also took part.

Trying to visualize sustainability transfer– presentation of “Mapping 2.0”, September 19, 2023

As part of the annual closed meeting of the Department of Landscape Use and Nature Conservation at Döllnsee, Benjamin Kashlan and Thomas Göttert from the Research Center presented various activities to (better) visualize sustainability transfer. In the first part of the talk that took place on September 19, key results from a “mapping workshop” that was carried out last year as part of the departmental retreat were presented. A discussion paper on this was recently published. In the second part of the presentation, preliminary results from a project that aims to further "map" sustainability transfer activities were presented - mind maps and geographical maps that are currently being developed were shown. It was discussed, in how far such tools make sense for the department and the HNEE in order to communicate the numerous sustainability transfer activities even better externally and internally.

Keynote at the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation Conference

On 13.9.2023, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting was invited by the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) to give the keynote speech "The role of the Regions in the time of crises - challenges and opportunities in the green transformation" at the 31st BSSSC Annual Conference 2023 "Building a resilient Baltic Sea Region - 30 years of BSSSC as a driver for strong regional involvement" in Szczecin, PL. The BSSSC is an established Baltic Sea Region network of various political representatives - some of them high-ranking - from the regional state level of the littoral states.

In his presentation, Benjamin Nölting developed perspectives for the regions of the Baltic Sea states for a sustainability transformation. At the same time, he pointed out the challenges and difficulties associated with this demanding task. This was illustrated by transfer projects such as InNoWest as an example of sustainability transfer between universities and regional stakeholders. As a participant in the subsequent panel, he took part in the lively debate with representatives from Poland, Sweden and Latvia on the benefits, potentials and possible limits of international cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.

Radio interview on "Sustainability Transformation" with Benjamin Nölting on 8.9.23

Liza Sander from the independent radio project Radio Industry talked to Benjamin Nölting about a sustainability transformation in the series "Future Sounds". The one-hour live programme was broadcast on Fri. 8.9. 16.00-17.00 h on FM 103.9 MHZ and on digital radio. In the conversation with host Liza Sander, future strategist and expert for socio-ecological design processes, one of the topics was experiences with change processes in sustainable development. How can people be motivated to do this and how can they empower themselves to help shape a future that is suitable for grandchildren and at the same time strengthens justice among generations living today? How can we prevent citizens from feeling overwhelmed and threatened by constant change, from perceiving themselves as "left behind"? A lengthy discussion unfolded around the citizen science project "Logbook of Changes" and how people have dealt with the forced changes due to the Corona pandemic. According to Benjamin Nölting, it is remarkable with what imagination and adaptability the logbook writers succeeded in coping with and shaping their everyday life and routines under completely changed circumstances. They report in a very differentiated way about the advantages and disadvantages of new routines and the abandonment of old practices. Through these experiences, he suspects, they might have gained a kind of change competence.

In conclusion, Benjamin Nölting pleaded for much more attention to be paid to and development of the topic of frugality - sufficiency in the technical language - as a core element of a sustainability transformation. To this end, there is a lack of research and research funds, but also of good concepts and strategies on how to develop "less" and "leave out" as a gain for the quality of life in completely hectic, stressful times. "We need more time to be able to be more inefficient," he reasoned.

You can listen to the conversation (without the music tracks) here.

The Logbook team visits Utrecht, Netherlands

From August 30th to September 1st, 2023, the Logbook team visited the International Sustainability Transitions Conference in Utrecht together with other colleagues from the research center. Many of the 500 participating scientists from all over the world presented their work and results on sustainability transformations. In one of these contributions Bettina König, Benjamin Nölting and Hannah Wiemers presented the latest research results from the Logbook project.
The event is organized on the initiative of the STRN network and takes place annually. This year, for the first time since the pandemic, the scientists met again in a central location. The logbook team would like to thank the organizers for this exciting event!

Project start "Future Forum Climate-friendly University" (ZKH) on 1 August 2023

Under the umbrella of the Research Centre [NTT], the joint project ZKH will start in August, in which the HNEE, together with the netzwerk n and the University of Vechta, will accompany 15 universities throughout Germany on their way to more climate protection. In the short term, the universities are to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 10% and in the long term implement climate protection concepts in the sense of a whole-institution approach. The project shows how higher education institutions can align their structures to climate protection by involving all status groups, as well as through transfer and networking at regional level. Central to the project is the empowerment of students for a student-driven sustainability transformation.

Second meeting to further develop the research center as an umbrella organization for transformation projects

The second meeting to further develop the research center as an umbrella organization for transformation projects in the region took place on July 13. The aim of this event was to deepen the interdisciplinary professional exchange between representatives of the research center, the university library and various research projects on regional transformation, including: InNoWest, Kultur der Nachhaltigkeit, WIR 4.0. and the StartUpLabor Schwedt. While the first meeting in March of this year was still about (cautiously) getting to know each other, very concrete experiences were now exchanged, commonalities and differences were identified and goals for upcoming tasks were announced. It became apparent that the research centre can play an important role in the overarching reflection and thus unfold a potential to effectively support the associated projects and jointly further develop the regional transformation.

6th BMBF Symposium on Sustainability in Science on 6/7 June 2023

Under the title "Towards a sustainable higher education and science system", more than 250 participants met at the Umweltforum in Berlin, among whom HNEE was well represented. In the new BMBF funding line "Transformation Paths for Sustainable Universities", two networks are being funded with the participation of HNEE:

- The project "Culture of Sustainability at Universities" (KuNaH) aims to find out what constitutes a culture of sustainability at universities and how it can be empirically investigated.

- In the project "WaNdel!4", four differently structured German universities are dedicated to the transformation towards increased sustainability at universities.

In the panel discussion "How to know? On the way to a sustainable higher education and science system - opportunities and hurdles", Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting from the Research Centre [NTT] discussed with representatives of universities, students, DG HochN and research institutions. The core messages were that sustainability is not an additional topic for universities, but a new perspective on what universities (should) do and thus offers a meaningful orientation for teaching, research and transfer. Conversely, society demands research and teaching for sustainable development because they have an important function and contribute to the common good. Universities can therefore not shirk this social responsibility.

Master's thesis by Britta Fiedler on practice-university cooperation in rural areas: Analysis of the sustainability transfer of the presence centres in Northwest Brandenburg
Brandenburg's universities have set up presence centres in rural areas in order to provide contact points and offers for practitioners, especially in areas far from universities. In her Master's thesis "Tasks and opportunities of Brandenburg's presence centres in sustainability transfer - recommendation for concepts, prerequisites and structures. An Empirical Analysis of Potential Using the Example of the Presence Centres of the Universities of the State of Brandenburg in North-West Brandenburg", Britta Fiedler examined the four presence centres in North-West Brandenburg. She empirically examined the question of which (sustainability) transfer concepts, measures and instruments the four presence offices implement in university-practice cooperation and how successful they are. The results clarify, among other things, the relevance of the local presence offices as binding, local contact persons, but also that interpersonal aspects such as trust, clear agreements and honest performance promises are perceived as important and beneficial. This master's thesis, which was supervised by the HNEE and the THB, offers numerous tips and starting points for the InNoWest project and is publicly available in the HNEE library.

Key points paper on transdisciplinary science
The "Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research" celebrated its foundation with more than 200 guests on May 10, 2023 at the Technische Universität Berlin. The society sees itself as a contact point and independent representation of interests of transdisciplinary and participatory research - also towards politics and funding institutions. The central goal, however, is the further development of transdisciplinary sustainability research. Thus, the society is a relevant network for the work of the research center [NTT] and the HNEE as a whole with its application-oriented, transformative research. Accordingly, the university, represented by its president Prof. Dr. Matthias Barth, and the research center have been committed to the founding of the society. It is hoped that this exchange between the university and the society will lead to further cooperation and impulses.
The founding of the "Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research" emerged from the tdAcademy, a joint project that has set itself the goal of building a network for transdisciplinary sustainability research. Benjamin Nölting from the Research Center [NTT] has accompanied the work of the tdAcademy for years as a member of the partner circle. In this role, he has contributed to the formulation of a key issues paper of the Partner*innenkreis, entitled "Strengthening transdisciplinary and participatory science and shaping a sustainable future", which advocates the promotion of transdisciplinarity as well as participatory and transformative approaches in science, business, civil society and politics. The key issues paper can be read in full text at GAIA.

Transfer to the HNEE - Representatives of the Eberswalde Zoo answer questions from "Lanus", May 10, 2023
In the summer semester, students of the B.Sc. program "Landscape Use and Conservation" prepare papers and talks on selected animal species as part of a seminar. Against this background, Thomas Göttert used the cooperation between Eberswalde Zoo and the Research Center [NTT] to give interested students the opportunity for the first time to also give presentations on specific animal species that are cared for and shown at Eberswalde Zoo. On May 10, the interested students and T. Göttert arranged to meet with representatives of the zoo. Paulina Ostrowska (zoo leader), Sonja Langkau (zoo school representative), Nicole Wulf (keeper of yellow-cheeked crested gibbons) and Kerstin Windschügl (keeper of green-winged macaws) took their time to answer the students' questions. This shows the appreciation with which the zoo treats this cooperation. Among other things, the students learned about the affection and dedication with which the keepers care for the well-being of their charges and that the importance of zoos is not limited to the well-known aspects of research, conservation, education and recreation, but goes far beyond that.

"Logbook of Changes" hosts workshop at Berlin's Humboldt Forum, May 5, 2023
On May 05, the results of the logbook project so far were presented to the public in a workshop at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin. It was a final workshop of a funding period by the Hans Sauer Foundation. The event was led and moderated by Benjamin Nölting and Hannah Wiemers from the Research Center and Bettina König (formerly of the Research Center, since April of this year professor at the University of Kassel). About 15 participants, among them logbook writers, researchers and citizens interested in the project, learned about the current state of research and subsequently exchanged experiences and discussed aspects of crisis-led transformation processes.

Hub with DG HochN on the topic of sustainability transfer, April 20, 2023
On April 20, 2023, the Research Center hosted an online workshop on "Transfer for Sustainable Development at Universities" as part of the DG HochN. The topic was how transfer from universities can contribute to sustainable development. The online event was moderated and led by Benjamin Nölting, Christine Hobelsberger and Thomas Göttert. About 35 participants, representing almost as many universities, intensively exchanged interests, experiences and challenges. The participants identified topics that are important for their work and that should be worked on and deepened in follow-up events. In this context, projects and alliances from the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule", which all work on the topic of transfer, should also be addressed.

Contribution to the second annual meeting of the AGRI-FOOD GEOGRAPHIES working group on 23.-25. March 2023 at the University of Hohenheim (hybrid)
On 23-25 March 2023 the second annual conference of the working group Agri-Food Geographies took place in cooperation with the chair for "Societal Transition & Agriculture" at the University of Hohenheim. The theme of the conference was: “Who MAKES our food? Power and powerlessness of actors in the agricultural and food system”. On Saturday (03/25/2023), the international guest Dr. Alexander Panez (Universidad de Bío-Bío, Chile) and Dr. Ilka Roose (HNE Eberswalde) discussed the  processes for shaping agricultural policy in past and current debates in constitutional reform under the title: "Food systems and constitutional changes in Latin America: The agarian disputes within the constitutional convention in Chile." 

Further development of the Research Centre [NTT] as an umbrella organisation for research projects on regional transformation

A meeting was held on March 13 with representatives of projects based at, associated with, or envisaged to cooperate with the Research Center [Sustainability Transformation Transfer]. In addition to getting to know each other, the aim was to explore the extent to which the research center could be further developed into a supportive framework for all associated projects. We see the research center as an umbrella that supports and promotes an interdisciplinary, professional exchange between different projects. Collectively, we`ve discusses how such support structures could be achieved. We acknowledge the lively participation and fruitful discussions.

Contribution to the 16th Scientific Conference on Organic Farming in Frick/Switzerland, 8.-10. March 2023
Together with Thorsten Michaelis from the University of Kassel, Bettina König and Thomas Göttert from the Research Center chaired a well-attended workshop on the topic "Transformation obstacles for more sustainable food systems - new or old acquaintances of organic farming?" as part of the 16th Scientific Conference on Organic Farming in Frick (Switzerland). Christine Hobelsberger from the research center supported the event online. The hybrid working team of the research center supported the debate about obstacles and (innovative) solutions for a transformation towards more sustainable agriculture.

GAIA contribution to the "KuNaH" project launch: Transformative research on the culture of sustainability at universities
To kick off the project, we are pleased to announce the publication of our contribution to the collaborative project Universities in Society - Real Experiments in Transformative Learning and Research Processes for a Culture of Sustainability at Universities (KuNaH) in GAIA. You can find the link to the article here. 

The kick-off meeting in December 22 laid the foundation for the three-year collaborative project. In close cooperation with the five universities involved (Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Freie Universität Berlin, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Leuphana University of Lüneburg and Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences for Sustainable Development), the project investigates what constitutes a culture of sustainability at universities and uses a variety of real-life experiments to test how it can be promoted.

More information about the project can be found here.

Contributions to the 13th International Sustainability Transitions Conference (IST), 3 days virtual plus 1 day in-person in Stellenbosch, Melbourne, Washington DC, 21-25 November 2022

The Research Centre [NTT] participated in the conference with three virtual contributions. Dr. Christine Hobelsberger presented the mapping method developed by the Research Centre [NTT]: "Making the invisible visible. A novel method for mapping Sustainability Transfer at universities as a contribution to sustainability transition". Dr Bettina König gave impulses from the logbook project on changed everyday practices due to the Corona pandemic: "Changing daily habits during crisis - What do empirical insights deliver for understanding changeability of daily life practices in sustainability transitions" and presented results from the agricultural film project "Plasticulture conflicts or circularity transitions? Situation analysis of the German asparagus sub-system."

HOCH-N Discussion Paper No. 02 published: "Sustainability Transfer in Practice - Examples from Teaching and Research at the Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences", 08 November 2022

As part of the project "Sustainability at Universities (HOCH-N)", the concept of sustainability transfer was developed at the HNEE. The discussion paper that has now been published describes four concrete case studies of sustainability transfer at the university, two each from teaching and research. The examples show the diverse possibilities of practical implementation of sustainability transfer and can provide inspiration and ideas for the implementation and further development of sustainability transfer in other contexts. More information on the project is available here. 

To the discussion paper: Nölting, Benjamin; Fritz, Hilke; Skroblin, Jan-Hendrik; Reimann, Julian; Dembski, Nadine (2022). Nachhaltigkeitstransfer in der Praxis – Beispiele aus Lehre und Forschung an der Hochschule ​​​für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde. HOCHN-Diskussionspapier Nr. 02. Eberswalde: HNEE. 

Discussion with citizens about results from the project "Logbook of Change", 18 October 2022

How did everyday routines change during the Corona pandemic? Which changes were only temporary? Which changes are permanent even without Corona measures? And what can we learn from this for the individual and societal handling of crises and for sustainable development? On 18 October 2022, the Barnim Adult Education Centre (VHS Barnim) and the Research Centre invited citizens to the University for Sustainable Development in Eberswalde to discuss these and other questions based on the results of the "Logbook of Changes" project. The joint look at everyday routines allowed the participants to engage in an insightful and mutually enriching exchange about the different experiences of the pandemic period and to discuss together whether the emerging permanent changes in everyday routines are individually and socially desirable. The team of the Research Centre is looking forward to continuing the cooperation with the Barnim Adult Education Centre.

Keynote at 4th Network Meeting of Health Promoting Universities Austria, 19-20 September 2022

The network meeting at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna focused on the interfaces between health promotion and sustainability. In the context of her keynote speech "Just do it?! Selected perspectives and examples from transformation research on synergy potentials between health and sustainability management at universities", Dr Bettina König from the Research Centre [NTT] gave impulses on connections between changed everyday practices due to the Corona pandemic and fields of action of health and sustainability management at universities. In an exciting round, it was discussed how potentials for sustainable development can be identified and developed cooperatively, also together with teaching and research at the respective university.

The 60th symposium of the Centre for Business Management in Horticulture (ZBG) in Hannover dealt with questions of organic vegetable production from current market developments to conversion planning. In the context of her lecture "Simply convert and leave out!? An outside-inside perspective from the perspective of transformation research", Dr Bettina König from the Research Centre [NTT] described the interplay between individual farm considerations and the conditions of value chains, innovation systems and societal demands, which raise a multitude of sustainability questions beyond "either-or" or "all or nothing".

Master's theses on the "Logbook of Change" published, September 2022
What impact does the Corona pandemic have on interpersonal solidarity? How are individual consumption, mobility and information and communication practices changing? What are the potentials and limits of changed labour practices and working conditions? And what implications does the pandemic have for the relationship between humans and nature? HNEE students got to the bottom of these questions as part of their Master's theses based on the logbook entries from the citizen science study "Logbook of Changes" by the Research Centre [Sustainability - Transformation - Transfer]. The results of these master's theses by Andrea Gutsohn, Madeleine Hahnle, Tabea Selleneit, Jana Katharina Stahl, Rebecca Weinberger and Hannah Wiemers have now been published.

Mapping of sustainability transfer at HNEE started, September 2022
Exchange and cooperation with actors from practice against the background of sustainable development are a profile-forming element of the HNEE. Universities are also increasingly expected by society to participate in the processing of practical problems from society. Under the motto "Making the invisible visible", the Research Centre [NTT] has developed a method to make sustainability transfer at the HNEE visible (more), and thus even more tangible, describable and communicable inside and outside the university. A first run of the mapping took place during the annual retreat of the Faculty of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation at Lake Dölln. More than 30 members of the department located their sustainability transfer activities on various maps and discussed the results together. In this way, a better awareness of sustainability transfer could be created, the different formats of which are often not even seen and recognised. Results and experiences from the mapping will now be evaluated promptly at the research centre and fed back to the department. The staff of the research centre are looking forward to carrying out the mapping in other departments of the HNEE.

As part of the 5th annual conference of the Working Group on Sustainability at Brandenburg Universities, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting, Dr. Christine Hobelsberger and Dr. Thomas Göttert from the Research Centre [NTT] organised a keynote lecture, workshops and plenary discussions with the aim of reflecting together with the participants on measures to better design and anchor sustainability transfer at universities. In addition to questions about the typical characteristics of sustainability transfer, the participants discussed which incentive systems and support mechanisms should be established at universities in order to structurally strengthen sustainability transfer. The Research Centre would like to thank the working group for the opportunity to participate in this exciting event.

Participation of the research centre in international summer school, 22 August - 2 September 2022

Between 22 August and 2 September 2022, a summer school took place in Lenzen, Elbe, organised by the Biosphere Reserves Institute (BRI) of the HNEE. A total of 21 students from Canada, South Africa and Germany developed recommendations for the further development of the Elbe-Brandenburg River Landscape Biosphere Reserve as part of this genuinely transdisciplinary event characterised by field work. The students were supported by five so-called mentors from the above-mentioned countries, among them Dr Thomas Göttert from the Research Centre. The main topics were, among others: Sense of place, local memory culture, nature-based recreation, power dynamics, collective visions, co-construction instead of consultation, reconciliation of generations, transparent communication, interpretive sovereignty over development measures and development opportunities in remote regions. The enormous importance of adequately involving local population groups in nature conservation and development policy decision-making processes became apparent. The intensive and instructive event will certainly be remembered by all those actively involved.

Publication of a technical paper on the calling behaviour of bats, July 2022

Together with Dr Nicole Starik from Berlin's Humboldt-Universitität, Dr Thomas Göttert from the Research Centre has published a paper on the calling behaviour of bats. The bioacoustic comparison of urban and rural bat calls revealed that certain species in the city centre of Berlin emit higher-frequency and more complex social calls than their conspecifics in the Brandenburg hinterland. This is obviously related to the adaptability of certain bat species to urban habitats. The paper was published in July in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Exchange with visiting scholars from Latin America, 25 May 2022

Jaime Emilio Marti Herrero, Ph.D. (Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Ecuador), Prof. Nosley Pérez Castellano (Universidad Central 'Marta Abreu' de Las Villas, Cuba) and Prof. Yudelkys Ponce Valdés (Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez", Cuba) are currently spending time at the HNEE as part of the DAAD-funded project "Deepening the Engagement with the SDGs through the Development and Implementation of innovative Learning Spaces". Dr. Christine Hobelsberger and Dr. Thomas Göttert from the Research Centre [NTT] introduced the concept of sustainability transfer to the guest researchers and explained the importance of sustainability transfer as a profile-forming element of HNEE. This was followed by an insightful exchange on experiences with sustainability transfer at the HNEE and the partner universities.

International Workshop on Social Challenges in the Context of Sustainable Development, 6 April 2022
What is the context of sustainable development, and what role do universities and sustainability transfer play in this? Dr. Christine Hobelsberger and around 200 participants from science and practice addressed these questions in an international and interdisciplinary online workshop. The event took place as part of the workshop series "Taller Internacional de Innovación y Emprendimiento" at the Universidad de Colima, Mexico.

NaWis - a network for sustainable science - is the mouthpiece for transdisciplinary and transformative research and a pioneer of transformative sustainability science. Representatives of almost all the institutions involved in the NaWis network met at ETH Zurich to sharpen their profiles and strategically develop their professional and organisational orientation: Leuphana University Lüneburg was represented by Prof. Dr Daniel Lang and Dr David Lam. Annika Rehm and Aileen Reichmann represented the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. For the Institute for Transformative Sustainability Research (IASS) Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn, scientific director of the IASS, Prof. Dr. Sophia Becker (from 1 April 2022 Vice President for Sustainability, Internal Communication, Transfer and Transdisciplinarity at TU Berlin) and Nicolina Kirby participated. HNEE is proud to also be part of the NaWis Network since the end of 2021 and was represented by its President, Prof. Dr. Matthias Barth, as well as Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting and Dr. Thomas Göttert from the Research Centre [NTT]. In particular, HNEE will contribute its expertise in practice-university cooperation for sustainable development in society and the concept of sustainability transfer to the NaWis network.

During her visit to the HNEE, Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) informed herself about the diverse research, doctoral and transfer activities at the university. In addition to the Biosphere Reserves Institute (BRI) and transfer professors Prof. Dr. Alexander Conrad, Prof. Dr. Jens Pape and Prof. Dr. Inga Schleip, the Research Centre [NTT] also had the opportunity to introduce itself: Dr. Bettina König and Dr. Christine Hobelsberger presented the concept of sustainability transfer as an essential working basis of the research centre as a contribution to researching and strengthening the capabilities of universities to deal with societal challenges. As an example of research that accompanies social transformation processes, the citizen science diary study "Logbook of Changes" was presented.

Discussion paper series "Sustainability Transformation & Sustainability Transfer" launched, March 2022

In close cooperation with the HNEE University Library, the Research Centre [NTT] has launched its discussion paper series "Sustainability Transformation & Sustainability Transfer". The discussion paper series is a medium for the timely publication of current research results, practical reports or theoretical or conceptual reflections on sustainability transformation and sustainability transfer. The series is not only aimed at established researchers, but also explicitly at young researchers and students. To ensure high dissemination and visibility, the series is published under an open access licence and each volume receives its own DOI. A peer review process ensures professional quality assurance. If you are interested in publishing or reviewing an article in German or English, please contact: Dr. Thomas Göttert.

Contributions in the context of the Darmstadt Days of Transformation 2022, online/hybrid, 14-18 March 2022
With the Darmstadt Days of Transformation 2022, the Schader Foundation, together with its partners from science, practice and society, offered various dialogue formats on the social-ecological transformation. The Research Centre [NTT] was also represented with its own contributions: Dr Bettina König gave an input lecture at a workshop organised by Leuphana University Lüneburg as part of the td Academy. Under the title "Capacity building for transdisciplinary research - How educational opportunities promote mutual learning and design processes", around 75 participants discussed needs in the field of education and training for transdisciplinary research. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting, on the other hand, was the moderator of the session "Experiencing the mobility transition", which was held as part of the tF Symposium 2022: "Developing and testing solutions". Based on the presentation of three local interventions for a traffic turnaround in Neu-Isenburg and two Berlin neighbourhoods, the participants of the session discussed possibilities and limits of temporally and spatially limited experiments to make changes towards sustainable development tangible. In the concluding panel discussion on the central question of the symposium, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting contributed the core results of the workshop as an impulse generator.

Impressions of the tF Symposium 2022 and Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting's thoughts on the role of scientists in transfromative research projects can be found in the film on the conference linked here.

Workshop at the Bad Wiesse Conference, Berlin, 15-16 March 2022
The Bad Wiesseer Kreis conference was entitled "The importance of universities of applied sciences for transfer and innovation". Following a keynote speech by HNEE President Prof. Dr. Matthias Barth on the challenges and potentials of sustainability at universities, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting and Dr. Christine Hobelsberger from the Research Centre [NTT] invited participants to the workshop "Building bridges to practice: sustainability transfer in research and teaching". The workshop provided space for impulses and a lively exchange of experiences around sustainability transfer, and at the same time a basis for future joint efforts to strengthen and stabilise the topic.

Logbook of Change: Gunther Wolff Prize for Hannah Wiemers from the Department of Sustainable Economy
On 23 November 2021, Hannah Wiemers was awarded the Gunther Wolff Prize for outstanding, forward-looking final theses at the HNEE. Hanna Wiemers had worked together with five other students on the research project "Logbook of Change" as part of a Master's colloquium. In her Master's thesis entitled "Information and communication in change - the development of digital competences during the Corona pandemic", she evaluated the changes in the field of information and communication documented in the logbook of citizens* from the perspective of digital competences and social sustainability. The Research Centre [NTT] congratulates Hannah Wiemers!

Excursions to Havelland organised by the Research Centre [NTT] postponed due to the pandemic

Teaching formats with practical relevance are important elements of education at HNEE. Against this background, Dr. Thomas Göttert (Research Centre [NTT]) and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schulz (Faculty of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation, Zoology, Applied Animal Ecology and Bee Science) are planning to organise various full-day excursions to teach methodological skills and abilities related to field ecology. The excursions are aimed at participants of the sub-module "Fundamentals of Ecology" in the module "Ecology and Sustainability" of the Bachelor's degree programme "Landscape Use and Nature Conservation". The planned venue is the Linde Research Station in Havelland; the project is supported by the Zwillenberg-Tietz Foundation. Due to the current pandemic situation, the teaching formats unfortunately cannot take place as planned during the "block week" at the beginning of December 2021. However, it is planned to hold the excursions under more favourable conditions in the coming year.

Call4Papers: Special Issue "Human Wildlife Conflict across Landscapes"

The aim of this Special Issue is to encourage and provide inspiration for cross-regional and cross-landscape approaches. Against this background, it is important to exemplify the various types of existing conflicts in different contexts, as well as encourage the discovery and better understanding of fundamentally valid mechanisms and generally applicable strategies. Dr. Thomas Göttert, research associate at the Research Centre [NTT], therefore cordially invites you to submit a manuscript on these or related topics. Deadline for manuscript submission is 31 January 2023.

More information at: Diversity I Special Issue "Human Wildlife Conflict across Landscapes

Master colloquium on the research project "Logbook of Changes
In the Master's colloquium on the research project "Logbook of Changes", six students deal with the conceptualisation and operationalisation of practice theory using qualitative content analysis to evaluate the logbook entries.

Call4Papers: Sustainability and Adaption: Navigating COVID-19
What are the long-term scenarios for post-crisis recovery and will there be lasting structural change? To explore the responses and perspectives of industries affected by the global corona crisis and to shed light on the opportunities that these unprecedented times may bring, the Sustainability Management Forum invites contributions for the Special Issue Sustainability and Adaptation: Navigating COVID-19. The [NTT] Research Centre is a co-editor.

More information at: Call for Papers: Sustainability and Adaptation: Navigating COVID-19​​​​​

Contributions to the 12th International Sustainability Transitions Conference (IST), Karlsruhe, 05-08 October 2021
The Research Centre [NTT] participated in the development of a working group on Agro-Food System Transitions with a workshop at the International Sustainability Transitions Conference (IST) 2021 and a Viewpoint article on future issues for research in this topic area.

Contributions to the International Transdisciplinarity Conference (ITD), td-net & ETH Zurich, 13-17 September 2021
The Research Centre [NTT] participated in the International Transdisciplinarity Conference (ITD) with two contributions and a workshop. Dr. Ilka Roose presented with Dr. Birgit Hoinle (University of Hohenheim) experiences of developing transdisciplinary teaching spaces at universities. Dr. Bettina König and Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting presented results from the research project "Logbook of Changes", and together with actors from practice and research took up aspects of individual and collective learning in the logbook project. In an interesting discussion, points for mutual learning between Citizen Science and transdisciplinary research could be elaborated.