For us, being experts in knowledge exchange means both continuously developing through new experiences and knowledge the expertise with which we shape our projects, and sharing and reflecting on our approaches and ideas with other experts, transfer officers and scientists.
As part of Aspect’s “Aspect Festival21” (Link), Dr. Christoph Köller chaired the session “Nurturing the Impact Power of Social Sciences and Humanities – A Journey Through (Parts of) Europe”. Gerard Nijsten, initiator of the Humanities Lab AVS in Amsterdam, spoke about the effectiveness and functioning of a lab that supports impact from the humanities and social sciences. Dr. Johannes Vogel, General Director of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, presented the impact management approach we have worked out in the joint project “Deep Impact”. He advocated our approach of actively addressing impact through a holistic impact management: “We want to lead, not to be led.”
In addition, in the interactive TransferAllianz webinar “Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts – systematically using transfer potential”, we shared experiences and know-how on transfer and impact from the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts and discussed them with transfer officers from Germany and Austria. We presented methods and a systematic approach to support transfer and stimulated a discussion about the future role of SSHA transfer officers.
In the events, we discussed and jointly further developed some of our approaches. In particular, active impact management is seen as a big chance for research institutions and universities: Mission Impossible? No! Challenge accepted? With pleasure!