PartWiss25 in Leipzig – the conference on networking and strengthening participation in science.

Together with the Centre for Responsible Research and Innovation (CeRRI) at Fraunhofer IAO, we held a session in which

“Shaping research together: Engaging external stakeholders as a strategy for scientific innovation” – a discussion on participatory governance in public research institutions.

Prof. Sarah Dorkenwald and Marius Dotzel shared the challenges and lessons learnt from the exploratory research project “Transferre”, which focuses on strengthening public participation in departmental research.

Further valuable insights came from Lale Altinalana and Julia Striepe, who presented the digital tool “TRAFO – Transfer by Forschungsdesign” for responsible and collaborative research.

Personal highlight:

The Science-Society Labs, presented by Konstanza Jochim and Ana Faustino – part of IETI: Impact-oriented Public Engagement, an eight-month programme designed to promote dialogue between the public and researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN).

A word of encouragement to round off:

Everyone faces similar challenges. Friction is part and parcel of the process. What matters is not consensus at any cost, but ‘holding space’: creating and maintaining spaces for participation where conflicts can be played out.