Guideline for “Sustainable Management in non-university Research Institutions”

In times of diverse global changes (e.g. climate change, energy transformation, resource shortages, food insecurity, financial crises) demands are placed on the sciences to develop responses to great societal challenges and to identify pathways for a sustainable development. However, there is still no common understanding of what the concept sustainable development means for research organisations, for their research processes, for their management, organization processes and human resource management and in which way sustainable management can be implemented in research organisations – as it is currently established in economic enterprises.

The aim of the joint project between the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft and Leibniz-Gemeinschaft is to develop a common, strategical understanding of what research organisations can contribute to the implementation of the National Sustainability Strategy of the Federal Government - through their research approaches and the constitution of the organisations.

Three separate projects comprise the research initiative: “Research in societal responsibility”, “human resource management” and “construction and operating of research infrastructures”. The WZB is responsible within the Leibniz Gemeinschaft for the project “human resource management” in which personnel management in science organisations will be aligned with the demands of sustainable development.

The outcome of the project will be a guideline for “Sustainable Management in non-university Research institutions” with relevant spheres of activity and action plans.