Die Rekonstruktion von Transferverläufen in öffentlichen Forschungsprojekten

Wissenstransfer ist ein zentrales Schlagwort für die Markierung von Verwertungsansprüchen der Forschung. Trotz der vielfach kritisierten Linearität dieses Begriffs haben sich dieser und ähnliche Schlagworte in Förderinstrumenten von privaten und öffentlichen Geldgebern etabliert. Kritische und umfassende Auseinandersetzungen mit dieser Thematik sind jedoch selten.
Ausgehend von der Geschichte und dem wissenschaftlichen Diskurs zu Transfer wird in dieser Arbeit eine Perspektive und ein Framework zur Rekonstruktion von Transferverständnissen und Förderkontexten entwickelt. Am Beispiel der Rekonstruktion von Transferverläufen in Förderlinien des Bundes wird eine generelle Aktivität beschrieben: die Suchbewegungen. Diese vollziehen sich in multiplen Konfigurationen entlang des gesamten Vorhabenzyklus - von der Erarbeitung eines Forschungsprogrammes bis zur konkreten Projektumsetzung. Die Arbeit zeigt neue Wege für die Beforschung von Transferaktivitäten auf und setzt konkrete Impulse für Innovationen in der Forschungsförderung.

One of the most important buzzwords for marking exploitation claims in research is transfer, also referred to as knowledge transfer, technology transfer, or science transfer. Despite wide-spread criticism of the linearity implied by this family of terms, such designations have become firmly established in various funding instruments. Alternative understandings and models have been proposed that move beyond linear conceptions of how scientifically generated knowledge is utilized. In practice, utilization rarely follows a linear path. It must be understood as at least bi- or multidirectional and can be diffuse or chaotic. This tension between simultaneous linearity and diffusivity of transfer has not been adequately described. In particular, it remains unclear how researchers' actual activities at the level of implementing exploitation claims can be theoretically conceptualized in general terms. This is not only problematic theoretically but also creates practical challenges for how transfer can be planned, realized, and evaluated beyond individual strategies.
This study analyzes the complexity of transfer to develop a general description of transfer implementation. The heterogeneity of transfer understandings is reconstructed and elaborated at an epistemic level. Transfer is characterized as an empty and floating signifier that, at its core, refers to nothing specific in the world. To make such a multilayered concept accessible for sociological analysis, the concept of transfer flows (Transferverläufe) is introduced, enabling an integrated examination of different levels of transfer.
This perspective reveals that funding contexts require detailed consideration, which is why this study focuses on project-based federal funding instruments in Germany. Federally funded research projects are situated in complex funding settings that often provide for the simultaneous funding of collaborative research projects and accompanying research projects (Begleitforschung), the latter frequently entrusted with overarching transfer tasks. Based on grounded theory, a general activity of transfer realization is identified: The exploratory searches (Suchbewegungen). These occur in multiple combinations, individually and collectively, throughout an entire project cycle: from the development of research programs through calls for proposals and applications to implementation in funded projects.
From this comprehensive perspective, a generally applicable framework for analyzing transfer flows and their funding contexts is derived. It is suitable both for research on transfer and for practical application in publicly funded research. This work makes an exploratory contribution by presenting new perspectives for observing and analyzing transfer. The framework enables the many uncertainties and challenges of transfer processes described in the research literature to be considered in a broader context and connects directly to existing discourse.