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How can my company produce in a more environmentally compatible way? How can we change to a healthy and ecological diet? There are a lot of entrepreneurial decisions and social debates today which require scientific assistance. But unfortunately, the answers do not always fit the questions. Scientists at the IÖW conduct around 40 research projects each year on socially relevant topics. And for a practice-oriented Institute, a project is not concluded until the results are available to the corresponding protagonists in industry, politics and society. In short: the transfer of research findings is very important for the IÖW. This is one of the central tasks of the Institute’s PR work. The target groups for PR work are just as heterogeneous as the topics and questions formulated in the projects: the spectrum ranges from scientists to decision-makers in business and politics and the interested general public, depending on the project in question. The methods and instruments used for the transfer of knowledge are always chosen with the respective target group in mind..

Talking to one another: conferences, workshops, lounges

Scientific events offer scope for discussions and new ideas. The IÖW organises international conferences which are directed at a broad general public as well as summer academies where a small group of experts can work intensively on a single topic. One example of a target group-oriented event was the opening event of the Sustainability Lounge which was held in Berlin in January 2007. High-calibre speakers discussed the topic of “Global markets between Climate Protection and Innovation” with decision-makers from industry, politics and NGOs.

In words and pictures: flyers, brochures, readers

When a study has been completed, the question arises: who else might be interested in the findings? And how can I reach the target group? In the project “Future Markets of the Forest-Timber Chain (ZUFO)”, the project team looked at the development opportunities for companies and associations in the forest-timber chain. The IÖW processed the results of the study and presented them in the brochure “With timber into the future? A sector at the crossroads”. With target group-oriented marketing the brochure reached the right readers: producers and processing companies in the forest-timber chain as well as their associations. IÖW PR work also includes producing project and event flyers or conference readers. The print versions can be downloaded free of charge.

Science on the Web: project websites

Almost every research project nowadays has its own website. For up-to-date news, the Internet is the preferred form of knowledge transfer. One further advantage: target groups can be offered different contents in parallel, according to their interests and expectations. The IÖW designs and sets up project websites, e.g. for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research project “Forest Futures 2100” (www.waldzukuenfte.de).

So that our research questions and results are not only discussed in expert circles but also among the broader general public, the IÖW supports its projects with targeted press work.