Transfer and Sustainability

In the context of urban systems, continuous cooperation with non-scientific actors is a basic requirement for future-oriented work in modern science, especially in the field of sustainable urban development. Examples include projects such as JaC-Lab and CLEVER Cities.

JUS is the initiator of cross-science networks and regional innovation alliances (such as CONUS), is represented on the advisory board of the Ruhr Conference, oversees digitisation processes in Duisburg-Essen and cooperates with Emschergenossenschaft among others via the Metropolitan Research competence field. In 2019, close cooperation with VRR and RVR was also agreed.

JUS is involved in numerous transfer events and workshop formats, such as the Hypermotion trade fair (for smart cities, mobility and logistics)/EXCHAiNGE Conference in Frankfurt (2017/18/19 in cooperation with ZLV). JUS is a co-initiator of the first “NRW Winter School on Sustainability and Green Business” (Cologne/Essen 2019), and was the main contributor to the session entitled “Decentralization of the Water Energy Food Nexus in Urban Systems” at the “3rd Future Earth Summit 2018” in Berlin as well as for the SummerCampus 2018 “How can healthy communities succeed” with the UA Ruhr and the NRW State Centre for Health (Landeszentrum Gesundheit NRW). In November 2019, the first KoMet Day on the subject of “The Future of Mobility in the Ruhr Area” was held at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex with around 200 guests from local authorities, politics, business, civil society and science.

The extent to which JUS is embedded in society is also demonstrated by commercial spin-offs and social innovations from its environment, study programme and projects. Supra-regional examples include the “Bits&Beton” agency (in Cologne, www.bitsundbeton.de) and the “Fachgeschäft für Stadtwandel” (in Essen, www.fachgeschaeft-fuer-stadtwandel.de/).