Innovative Approaches for Integrative Knowledge Transfer - An Empirical Study of University-driven Innovation Labs in Germany

Being a main actor in regional innovation systems, academia has been confronted with drastically changed expectations in the recent past. The increased importance of societal relevant knowledge production has brought university-driven transfer processes on the agenda of science policy and likewise public interest. A need for socio-technological innovation in the eye of contemporary societal challenges is contesting the role of academia urging for innovation in knowledge producing systems. One promising tool to fostering institutional change are innovation labs. Such spaces for experimenting with novel strategies and approaches for knowledge transfer have become a prominent phenomenon in German academia. Though, little is known about how conceptional approaches are applied in order to re-shaping socio-technological futures and likewise institutional conditions of the academia. Consequently, our research project is guided by the following question: Which conceptional approaches are applied in university-driven innovation labs in Germany, and how can transfer processes successfully be aligned with societal challenges and integrative approaches?
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The research conducted is part of the interdisciplinary research project “TRANSFORM – the Transformative Institute”, which investigates pathways for implementation and institutional alignment of (with) transformative science in the German academia. The conceptional model applied encompasses characteristics and interactions among the individual, institutional and systemic level linked to transfer processes. The research design of the study presented is based on a comparative case-study approach. A total of nine university-driven innovation labs are selected for in-depth investigation and comparison. The analysis is accomplished by collecting qualitative data by conducting semi-structured interviews with the managers in charge of each of the selected innovation lab.
Findings indicate a delineation of different conceptions applied including variations of transdisciplinary and transformative research processes. Furthermore, our results show relevant factors for a successful integration of society and thus perspectives on contextualised societal challenges in university-driven transfer processes on the three levels mentioned.