Knowledge transfer in social and spatial sciences

The ability to convey research results to a non-scientific audience is an integral part of a communication professional’s daily work. If scientific communication is to be successful, researchers should have a clear approach on possible strategies pertaining to both knowledge transfer and the potential target groups. Researchers can then include these strategies in their considerations during the project application phase.

Technological and natural scientific disciplines have long been using different strategies for successful knowledge and technology transfer. In the field of social and spatial sciences, however, there was little attention for the importance and necessity of the transfer of scientific knowledge.

In cooperation with the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB) and together with the spatial sciences research institutes of Leibniz-Association (5R), the IfL researchers systematised knowledge transfer between basic research on the one hand and the general public and practice on the other. On the basis of transfer projects identified by the 5R institutes good practice examples and criteria for transfer success as well as transfer barriers were identified. In addition, selected projects with transfer potential were accompanied and an optimisation strategy (recommendation catalogue) was developed, facilitating the integration of the utilisation concept into research as well as existing reputation systems.

Results/Publications

Simon, Dagmar / Lentz, Sebastian – im Gespräch mit Wolfert von Rahden (2016): Transfer! Welcher Transfer? Disziplinäre Selbstverständnisse zum Wissenstransfer in den Sozial- und Raumwissenschaften. In: Froese, Anna / Simon, Dagmar / Böttcher, Julia (Hrsg.): Sozialwissenschaften und Gesellschaft. Neue Verortungen von Wissenstransfer. 1. Aufl. Bielefeld: transcript Verl., S. 65–97

Froese, Anna / Mevissen, Natalie / Böttcher, Julia / Simon, Dagmar / Lentz, Sebastian / Knie, Andreas (2014): Wissenschaftliche Güte und gesellschaftliche Relevanz der Sozial- und Raumwissenschaften: ein spannungsreiches Verhältnis. Handreichung für Wissenschaft, Wissenschaftspolitik und Praxis. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB Discussion Paper, SP III 2014–602). pdf