Our transformation advisory board strengthens the HSRW network

The transformation advisory board of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW) met on 12 September. It was established in summer 2023 to support and stabilise our TransRegINT project, i.e. to continue the work of TransRegINT beyond the end of the project in 2027. It began its work in January 2024.

The HSRW Executive Board initially appointed eight honorary members from science, politics and society for five years in order to further develop the HSRW’s profile in the area of transfer and sustainability transformation.

Members

Dr Barbara Hendricks, former Federal Minister for the Environment, was elected Chair of the advisory board, with district administrator Ingo Brohl (Wesel district) as deputy. District administrator Christoph Gerwers (Kleve district) is also a member. Professor Dr Kora Kristof, Vice President for Digitalisation and Sustainability at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Professor Dr Christa Liedtke, Head of the Sustainable Production and Consumption Department at the the Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, and Professor Dr Sigrid Quack, Director of the Centre for Global Cooperation Research (GCR) at the University of Duisburg-Essen, represent the scientific perspective. Dr Dagmar Grob, Head of the Department of Structural Development of Rural Areas and Head of the Centre for Rural Development (ZeLE), was appointed as a member for the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Bastian Fassin, Managing Director of Katjes Fassin GmbH & Co. KG, will present the company perspective.

Project progress

Prof Dr Peter Kisters, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at HSRW, reported on the progress of our project at the meeting on 12 September 2024. Together with Prof Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of the HSRW, he gave an outlook on the intended continuation of the initiated change processes through a European Centre for Sustainability Transformation (EUZENT). As a guest, Prof Dr Klaus Hegemann, Faculty of Communication and Environment and head of our digital showroom “assistance and participation” sub-project, explained the applied research sub-projects in the transformation hub, such as our agroforestry living lab, our lab landscapes and the digital showroom “assistance and participation”.

The members of the advisory board showed great interest in the model degree programme “Engineering for Sustainability”, which is being developed at the Faculty of Technology and Bionics as part of TransRegINT. They emphasised the need for students to participate in research and transfer as well as the expansion of the economic component to include an ecological component and the opening up of the degree programmes to companies in the region.

The impact measurement of the sub-projects was also discussed. Professor Dr Peter Kisters:

“We have to ask ourselves how we can move from transfer to transformation. The expertise of the advisory board is invaluable here. The advisory board strengthens the HSRW’s network. The members are important sources of inspiration and advisors on the path to sustainability transformation.”

The impetus will be deepened in March 2025, when the advisory board will meet in Kleve to gain an on-site impression of selected sub-projects after the previous meeting took place digitally.

The guidelines for the Transformation Advisory Board adopted by the executive board can be found here. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Pia Schilberg, Project Coordinator TransRegINT, pia.schilberg@hochschule-rhein-waal.de.

Photo: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Kisters, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer, Advisory Board Chairwoman Dr. Barbara Hendricks, former Federal Minister, Prof. Dr. Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and Pia Schilberg, Project Coordinator TransRegINT (f.l.t.r.).