Intentions
The SURE Synergy Workshop 3 focused on stakeholder dialogue between science and society. The workshop’s intention was multifold: it aimed to reflect on stakeholder involvement through both scientific and community lenses and provide input and exchange opportunities on external and SURE 10 collaborative projects.
The SURE Synergy Workshop 3 was related to Work Packages 1 and 2 of the SURE Facilitation and Synthesis Research. WP1 has the ambition of providing support for the projects. In contrast, the WP2 explores the projects’ content, synthesis, and visualization through digital tools. The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to share insights on stakeholder involvement methods, approaches, and practices in transformation research.
In the first part of the event, participants listened to two impulse talks given by guest speakers presenting their projects with innovative stakeholder approaches. The first guest speaker talked about the co-creation process as governance innovation and transdisciplinary research. The second speaker presented a project with a strong focus on co-creation and stakeholder incentivizing approaches.
The second part of the workshop consisted of two parallel ‘pitch’ presentations and group discussions. The 10 collaborative project representatives were asked to share their projects experiences on two topics: »Methods and approaches for designing stakeholder involvement« and »Success and failure stories in stakeholder involvement«. The parallel sessions were followed by a summary of the main discussion points to open the floor for the final remarks of the participants.
Contributions
Dr Franziska Ehnert , Leibniz-Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Germany
Martin Krekeler,Senate Chancellery of the Mayor of Hamburg | Department of European Policy »CLEVER project«
Key Topics
- Stakeholder involvement approaches and relationship management
- Stakeholder communication and collaboration through digital tools and hybrid formats
- Balancing research, state and society responsibility – avoiding community exploitation; the role of the research projects
- Ways to empower local partners (finance/equipment) and mutual respect and integration of local partners’ values and needs in the project
- Pandemic-induced challenges and adaptation
Practical Takeaways
- Strong relationships with local coordinators are essential; the local partners are the »gatekeepers« to the local environment
- Cooperation is not a one-way road; it is vital to build capacities and working relationships, share results, and appreciate actors who invest time and ideas
- Learning the local formats and creating cross-cutting approaches is necessary to overcome »silo mentalities.«
- Besides high-level scientific publications, local journals and trade magazines must be considered in the projects as they are a central currency for local researchers