ZEW Launches Collaboration Platform ZEW Co-Design
Dates and NewsNew Framework for Evidence-Based Collaboration Between Academia and Practice
With significant challenges facing the economy, politics and society, businesses and organisations play a key role in the ongoing transformation. ZEW Co-Design – the new platform launched by ZEW Mannheim – enables structured collaboration between academia and organisations. It aims to systematically link excellent economic research with specific issues raised by businesses, institutions and the public sector, thereby generating economic policy impetus for potential solutions. In contrast to traditional consulting, ZEW Co-Design provides a platform for organisations to partner effectively with researchers and work on evidence-based solutions that are grounded in recognised scientific methods and robust data. The focus is on the joint development, implementation and evaluation of projects.
“We use ZEW Co-Design as a collaborative format linking science and practice. Joining forces with organisations, we want to conduct high-quality research into cutting-edge issues – such as how to retain skilled workers in the long term, how to reduce sickness rates, or whether calls for energy savings actually bring down energy consumption,” explains the Director of ZEW Co-Design Professor Adrian Hillenbrand, researcher at ZEW’s Research Unit “Market Design” and professor of economics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). “ZEW Co-Design represents a modern concept of knowledge transfer where scientific findings are connected with practical implementation by integrating practitioners in the research process at an early stage.”
Umbrella brand for long-standing experience
ZEW Co-Design is aimed at organisations, businesses and public sector bodies. “Using a single umbrella brand, the platform builds on ZEW’s many years of experience in collaborating with organisations and businesses, particularly regarding environment- and energy-related issues and budgetary decisions in finance. It coordinates cooperation between academia and the professional world. At the same time, it acts as a central point of contact for initiating new projects and promoting exchange between academia and the professional world,” says ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach, PhD.
Research collaboration offers added value for all parties involved
Both sides benefit from the collaboration. Researchers gain in-depth insights into real-world decision-making processes, institutional frameworks and behavioural and market dynamics. These insights are key to further developing existing theories and creating new research approaches.
“Companies and public organisations can draw on our independent academic expertise. We set up systematic pilot projects for testing collaboratively developed solutions and evaluating their effectiveness, for example, in terms of productivity or employee satisfaction. All analysis and evaluation processes are data-driven and transparent. As researchers we are granted the research privilege, which enables us to conduct in-depth analyses. The result is a win-win-win situation for academia, organisations, employees and customers,” explains Professor Guido Friebel, PhD, Co-Director at CO-Design and professor of human resources at Goethe University Frankfurt.
The focus is on collaborative research aimed at gaining new insights and establishing a robust, evidence-based foundation for decision-making regarding current economic and societal transformation processes.
Further information on ZEW Co-Design is available at:
