TSUWue - Transformation Laboratory University, University and City of Würzburg

TSUWue - Transformation Laboratory University, University and City of Würzburg

This transformation experiment complements a project funded by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft in the “University Transformation Laboratory” funding line. Vice President Prof. Dr. Anja Schlömerkemper and Mayor Martin Heilig are involved at the strategic management level, while Dr. Nicola Oswald and Dr. Christian Göpfert are involved at the operational level. The aim is to link the project to the WueLAB in the form of a transformation experiment in order to strengthen science-based support for the project.

The transformation experiment “TSUWue - Transformation Laboratory City and University of Würzburg” will consolidate the bidirectional knowledge transfer between the University and the City of Würzburg by bringing at least one representative of the city administration (e.g. management of departments or employees) with a representative of science (e.g. scientists, possibly science-supporting staff) into a structured and scientifically documented exchange on four different topics in four tandems. In these transdisciplinary dialogs, science is transferred into practice over a period of several months and at the same time confronted with practical questions. The focus of the transformation experiment will be to scientifically accompany and evaluate the dialogs and document them in short videos. Civil society actors will be involved through public citizen dialogues in public spaces, as well as through a high-profile exhibition of the resulting short videos.

The transformation experiment will focus in particular on the following research questions:

• Communication: How can the exchange between practical city administration and science-based research succeed? 
• Science to Policy / City to Science: How can scientific results be integrated into the practical tasks of city administration and, conversely, how can practical experience influence research topics and methods?

In addition, suitable meeting places will be defined and a platform for communication established. The topics (e.g. mobility, biodiversity in urban areas or digitalization) are strategically defined in advance by Vice President Prof. Dr. Anja Schlömerkemper and Mayor Martin Heilig.

The criteria for this are
- Potential thematic overlap and relevance of the topic,
- Potential for a science-based exchange, and
- suitability of the people / institutions involved.