Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI

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  • Publication
    Standardization in the context of transdisciplinarity
    ( 2024-07-03)
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    Transdisciplinarity is an integrative approach that includes different scientific disciplines as well as stakeholders and researchers to tackle both societal and scientific challenges. Since standards are jointly developed by science, business, and other stakeholders, standardization can be perceived as a specific mode of transdisciplinarity. In the discussion on knowledge transfer as a further performance dimension for researchers, participation in standardization procedures is now also being considered as a further channel, albeit without a sound conceptual and empirical basis. The paper thus aims to provide a conceptual base of standardization as a transdisciplinary knowledge production mode and transfer channel but also gives an outlook on its empirical implementation. The literature review on transdisciplinarity helps us to put standardization into the context of transdisciplinary research and to present a conceptual model of standardization as transdisciplinary knowledge production and transfer. Further, we present the first methodological approaches for the empirical analysis of the transdisciplinary character of standardization. Finally, we conclude with a summary, a number of recommendations derived from transdisciplinary research for standardization, and an outlook toward future research to be tackled with the proposed methodologies.
  • Publication
    Exzellent forschen in gesellschaftlicher Verantwortung: Ergebnisse des Projekts LeNa-Shape
    ( 2024)
    Maikämper, Moritz
    ;
    Walz, Rainer orcid-logo
    Steigende gesellschaftliche Erwartungen an Wissenschaft fordern das herkömmliche Verständnis guter Forschung heraus. Im Rahmen des vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderten Verbundvorhabens LeNa Shape haben Forscher(innen) von drei Universitäten sowie aus neun Einrichtungen der vier großen außeruniversitären Forschungsorganisationen Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leibniz und Max-Planck ein ganzheitliches Verständnis von exzellentem Forschen in gesellschaftlicher Verantwortung entwickelt. Die zentralen Ergebnisse, ein Positionspapier und eine Toolbox, werden hier vorgestellt.
  • Publication
    Researchers engaging with society: who does what?
    ( 2024)
    Borlaug, Siri Brorstad
    ;
    Karaulova, Maria
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    Svartefoss, Silje Marie
    ;
    Sivertsen, Gunnar
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    Meijer, Ingeborg
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    Leeuwen, Thed van
    ;
    Hessels, Laurens K.
    Distinguishing between research collaboration, consultancy, dissemination, and commercialization of research results, this paper analyses the determinants of researchers’ societal engagement. The analytical framework integrates societal engagement as part of the credibility cycle. Several variables extend previous findings on determinants and mechanisms - herein scientific recognition and funding sources. A novel method to investigate the relationship between scientific recognition and societal engagement is explored. Drawing on a large-scale survey of European-based researchers in physics, cardiology, and economics, we find that several factors are associated with different modes of societal engagement in complex and intersecting ways. Scientific recognition is positively associated with research collaboration and dissemination, while organizational seniority is associated with all modes except for research collaboration with non-scientific actors. Female gender is positively associated with dissemination and external funding sources are positively associated will all. The findings intersect with differences in the three research fields.
  • Publication
    The interplay between innovation, standards and regulation in a globalising economy
    ( 2024)
    Blind, Knut orcid-logo
    ;
    Münch, Florian
    To examine the different roles of regulation and standards in the age of globalisation, we hypothesize and investigate the relation of regulation and national and international standards on the one hand with innovation input (R&D expenditure) and innovation output (patents) on the other hand. The analysis is based on data of 26 high-income countries between 1998 and 2018. There are two main results. Firstly, international standards outperform both de-regulation and national standardisation as they are positively associated with R&D expenditure and patenting. On the other hand, national standards - once believed a source of competitiveness - are negatively related to patents and hence seem to localize economies and slow-down innovation. Secondly, de-regulation does not correlate positively with R&D expenditure, but with increased patenting. We argue the former suggest businesses did not - as assumed - spend freed up resources on R&D, but instead strategically used patenting to replace lost regulation-based protection with patent fences. This casts doubts on the added social value of de-regulation induced innovation.
  • Publication
    The long term price elastic demand of hydrogen - A multi-model analysis for Germany
    ( 2024)
    Weißenburger, Bastian orcid-logo
    ;
    Wietschel, Martin
    ;
    Lux, Benjamin orcid-logo
    ;
    Rehfeldt, Matthias orcid-logo
    Hydrogen and its derivatives are important components to achieve climate policy goals, especially in terms of greenhouse gas neutrality. There is an ongoing controversial debate about the applications in which hydrogen and its derivatives should be used and to what extent. Typically, the estimation of hydrogen demand relies on scenario-based analyses with varying underlying assumptions and targets. This study establishes a new framework consisting of existing energy system simulation and optimisation models in order to assess the long-term price-elastic demand of hydrogen. The aim of this work is to shift towards an analysis of the hydrogen demand that is primarily driven by its price. This is done for the case of Germany because of the expected high hydrogen demand for the years 2025-2045. 15 wholesale price pathways were established, with final prices in 2045 between 56 €/MWh and 182 €/MWh. The results suggest that - if climate targets are to be achieved - even with high hydrogen prices (252 €/MWh in 2030 and 182 €/MWh in 2045) a significant hydrogen demand in the industry sector and the energy conversion sector is expected to emerge (318 TWh). Furthermore, the energy conversion sector has a large share of price sensitive hydrogen demand and therefore its demand strongly increases with lower prices. The road transportation sector will only play a small role in terms of hydrogen demand, if prices are low. In the decentralised heating for buildings no relevant demand will be seen over the considered price ranges, whereas the centralised supply of heat via heat grids increases as prices fall.
  • Publication
    The possible future of electric road systems in Europe - time to decide and act
    ( 2024)
    Plötz, Patrick orcid-logo
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    Andersson, Matts
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    Scherrer, Aline orcid-logo
    ;
    Johansson, Erik
    Electrification of road transport is crucial to limit global warming. Battery electric vehicles (BEV) with stationary charging infrastructure have received considerable attention in the scientific literature for both cars and trucks, while dynamic charging via Electric Road Systems (ERS) has received much less attention and their future role in low-carbon road transport is uncertain. Here, we envision three potential scenarios for the future of ERS in European low-carbon transport. We sketch a potential European ERS network and discuss the political, technological, and market steps needed to realize these. We argue that existing field trials, tests, and research projects have collected sufficient evidence to make the next step: Decide and act. Decision-makers will never have perfect information about all aspects of ERS or competing technologies, but the urgency of the climate crisis requires a commitment one way or the other. A clear decision with respect to ERS would send a clear directive and would help focus time, effort, and money on the necessary infrastructure and policies to implement ambitious GHG abatement targets in road transport.
  • Publication
    Commentary: transitions research and sustainable tourism
    ( 2024)
    Köhler, Jonathan orcid-logo
    This commentary discusses the growing connections between sustainable tourism research and the sustainability transitions literature. The common ground between sustainability transitions and sustainable tourism starts from the problem definition of unsustainability in tourism and the consequent need for system change. Research into sustainable tourism engages with several areas discussed in the recent sustainability transitions research agenda. These include: understanding radical innovation for sustainability that involves (socio-technical) system level change; the politics and power struggles in transitions processes; organisational and industrial aspects of sustainability transitions; the geography of transitions; and ethical/just transitions. The papers in this special issue also show that evolutionary economic geography (EEG) views on sustainability transitions in tourism are in line with the concepts of innovation and change in the multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions (MLP). This should enable a fruitful interaction between the two fields of sustinability transitions and sustainable touism.
  • Publication
    Access to Public Archives in Europe: progress in the implementation of CoE Recommendation R (2000)13 on a European policy on access to archives
    ( 2024)
    Friedewald, Michael orcid-logo
    ;
    Székely, Iván
    ;
    Karaboga, Murat orcid-logo
    In this paper, we present the results of a Europe-wide survey on the implementation of CoE Recommendation R (2000)13 on a European policy on access to archives conducted in October 2022 on behalf of the Council of Europe (CoE). It shows that overall great progress has been made in improving access to their public Archives. It also shows that there are still deficits in some instances, for example in the availability of finding aids for classified holdings or in the granting of access corrections for otherwise inaccessible archive holdings. We also highlight several challenges to the accessibility of archives, many of which are related to the ongoing process of digitalization. On the one hand, there is the growing expectation of users that collections be digitized and made accessible online, while at the same time the available resources of the Archives remain scarce. Finally, digitalization and the adoption of the GDPR also exacerbate the tension between data protection and freedom of information - often at the detriment of accessibility.
  • Publication
    A material flow model of steel and concrete in EU buildings: National differences of the service-stock-flow nexus
    ( 2024)
    Lotz, Meta Thurid orcid-logo
    ;
    Herbst, Andrea
    ;
    Müller, Andreas
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    Kranzl, Lukas
    ;
    Carreon, Jesus Rosales
    ;
    Worrell, Ernst
    To meet climate and resource efficiency targets in the European Union, it is advantageous to reduce material production and waste generation related to buildings. Yet, the feasibility of reducing the demand for construction materials across member states remains uncertain. Thus, this paper aims to assess challenges for building material demand reduction in the member states based on national differences in the service-stock-flow nexus. To achieve this objective, the paper introduces a stock-driven material flow analysis and material intensity database for steel and cement in residential and commercial buildings until 2050. The results are contrasted with structural variables to pinpoint challenges for material demand reduction within prospective transformation pathways. While overall material inflows increase by more than 50 %, individual countries stand out due to lower specific material demand. In fact, the specific steel use is around 23 % lower in new single-family houses in Northern compared to Southern Europe as more than half of the residential buildings rely on timber for above-ground construction. Nevertheless, the overall material stocks are lowest in Southern Europe due to a per capita floor space demand below the European average of 45 square meters in 2050. In general, the modelled material outflows are lower than the inflows but are still increasing over time. Furthermore, the national material stocks and flows correlate with market value and population density. This implies that a growing share of material production and waste generation are caused by the construction of buildings. Although the transfer of the identified material demand reduction potentials to other member states is thinkable, this is challenged by continuous economic growth and socioeconomic trends. Consequently, it is decisive to decouple service and material demand. Strategies related to a circular economy demand can contribute to this by reducing building material production and waste generation without affecting the service provision. Future research should quantify the impact of such circular economy strategies to develop exploitation strategies for achieving the climate and resource efficiency targets.
  • Publication
    Understanding career transitions of applied researchers to universities: evidence from Germany
    ( 2024)
    Garcia Chavez, Cecilia orcid-logo
    ;
    Howoldt, David
    ;
    Hoyer, Patrick
    ;
    Karaulova, Maria
    ;
    Kroll, Henning orcid-logo
    ;
    Schubert, Torben orcid-logo
    This paper analyses the conditions and factors influencing non-university researchers’ career transitions back into academia. Using affiliation data in publications of German researchers, their cross-sector career transitions from the public research organisation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and industry to universities are analysed. Although the rate of transitions is small, there are distinctive windows of opportunity at a junior career stage, especially for Fraunhofer researchers. Researchers who publish more and in more acclaimed journals, Fraunhofer researchers who co-publish with universities, and women are more likely to gain a university affiliation over the course of their career. These results indicate the influence of institutional proximity for cross-domain career transitions. The quality and impact of academic knowledge could be improved if the higher education sector was more open to recruitment of researchers from other sectors. Policy needs to target the barriers that preclude applied researchers from pursuing university careers.