The IÖW pursues the objective of interdisciplinary and practically relevant research. To achieve this objective, the institute is linked into various networks. It works together with partners from science and industry, local bodies and associations. In the field of sustainable regional development / local Agenda 21, the IÖW can look back on its experience in the initiation and moderation of such networks. In the course of various projects, we have brought local-bodies and regional players together at the table. We are closely involved in the following networks.

Organisation for Ecological Economic Research (VÖW)

Since its establishment, the IÖW has been closely associated with the Organisation for Ecological Economic Research (VÖW). This society is involved in the interdisciplinary exchange of ecologically interested people from the economic, social, natural and engineering sciences. Its approximately 300 members are active in research and teaching, politics and practice. They attempt to put theoretically developed solution approaches for sustainable economies into practice, and in this manner to structure a society that is fitter for the future. The members discuss their ideas and results via their own mailing list, in study groups and workshops, and at conferences on current ecological topics.

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Ecological Research Network (Ecornet)

The IÖW is a member of the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet). Seven pioneering institutes in sustainability research have joined together, forming a network of non-university, non-profit German research institutes focusing on environmental and sustainability research. Their common mission: to create a scientific foundation for the societal transformation to sustainability. The Ecornet institutes conduct applied research across the borders of scientific disciplines regarding ways to achieve a post-fossil and post-nuclear society.

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In addition, the IÖW is a member of the

• Society of German Economic Research Institutes (ARGE)
• German Network for Technology Assessment (NTA)
• German Society for Evaluation (DeGEval)

and supports the environment initiative of entrepreneurs future.

International co-operation partners

• Ambiente Italia, Milan, Italy
  
• AVANZI, Milan, Italy
  
• Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington D.C., USA
  
• Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels, Belgium
  
• Centre d'économie et d'éthique pour l'environnement et le developpement (C3ED), Guyancourt, France
  
• Centre for Alternative Social Analysis (CASA), Copenhagen, Denmark
  
• Centre for Appropriate Technology (GrAT), Vienna, Austria
  
• Centre for Sustainable Consumption, Sheffield Hallam University, Great Britain
  
• CRIS – Centre for Research into Sustainability, Royal Holloway University, London, Great Britain
  
• Department of Finance, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  
• E2 Management Consulting AG, Zurich, Switzerland
  
• ECO-Label Office, Galway, Ireland
  
• Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente (ENEA), Bologna, Italy
  
• Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Environmental Science, Rotterdam, Netherlands
  
• Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), Milan, Italy
  
• Gothenburg Research Institute, Gothenburg, Sweden
  
• ICCSR ­ International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham-University Business School, Great Britain
  
• ICLEI in Europe – Local Governments for Sustainability, Freiburg, Germany
  
• IEFE – Istituto di Economia e Politica dell'Energia e dell'Ambiente, Università Bocconi, Italy
  
• IFZ – Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture, Graz, Austria
• Industrial design, tecnologia nell' architettura, cultura dell' ambiente (ITACA), La Sapienza University of Roma
  
• Institut für interdisziplinäre Forschung und Fortbildung, Universities Innsbruck, Klagenfurt and Vienna (IFF), Austria
  
• Institut für Produktdauerforschung, Giebenach, Switzerland
  
• Institut für Wirtschaftsgeographie, Regionalentwicklung und Umweltwirtschaft der Wirtschaftsuniversität, Vienna, Austria
  
• Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM), Manchester, Great Britain
  
• Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Amsterdam, Netherlands
  
• Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), London, Great Britain
  
• Institute for Globalization and Sustainable Development, Tilburg University, Netherlands
  
• Institute for Product Development (IPU), Copenhagen University, Denmark
  
• Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), Sevilla, Spain
  
• Institute for Sustainable Development, Warsaw, Poland
  
• Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Netherlands
  
• Institute of International Sociology, Gorizia
  
• Institute of Management, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
  
• International Alert, London, Great Britain
  
• International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, Sweden
  
• International Research Centre on Environment and Development (CIRED), Paris; France
  
• Istituto di Economia e Politica dell'Energia e dell'Ambiente (IEFE), Milan, Italy
  
• Istituto di Ricerche Ambiente Italia, Milan, Italy
  
• National Technical University of Athens; Erasmus Centre for Environmental Studies, Athen, Greece
  
• National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
  
• Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepastnatuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek (TNO), Delft, Netherlands
  
• Ökoinstitut Südtirol/Alto Adige, Bozen, Italy
  
• Ökoscience, Zurich, Switzerland
  
• ÖBf – Österreichische Bundesforste, Purkersdorf, Austria
  
• Österreichisches Ökologie Institut, Vienna, Austria
  
• Queens University, Belfast, Ireland
  
• Randa Group, Barcelona, Spain
  
• Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheit en Milieu (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
  
• Roskilde University Center, Department of Environment, Technology and Social Studies, Roskilde, Denmark
  
• Science and Technology Policy Research (SPRU), University of Sussex, Brighton, Great Britain
  
• Statens institutt for forbruksforskning (SIFO), Oslo, Norway
  
• Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), Stockholm, Sweden
  
• Tilburg University, Department of Leisure Studies, Tilburg, Netherlands
  
• TNO-STB Centre for Technology and Policy Studies, Delft, Netherlands
  
• UK Centre for Environmental and Economic Development, Cambridge, Great Britain
  
• Valor & Tinge A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark
  
• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Further selected partners with which it co-operates from time to time are:

• Adelphi, Berlin
  
• Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau
  
• Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz (BUND), Berlin
  
• Büro für integrierte Planung (BIP), Holz-Rau/Rau, Berlin/Herdecke
  
• Büro für ökologische Landentwicklung, Köln
  
• Centre for Environmental Research of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Munster
  
• Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Ökologie-Zentrum, Kiel
  
• Clearing-house for Applied Futures GmbH, Wuppertal
  
• German post-graduated school for administrative sciences, Speyer
  
• German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu), Berlin
  
• Econcept agency for ecology and design advice, Cologne
  
• Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft, Berlin
  
• University of Applied Sciences Lausitz, Senftenberg
  
• University of Applied Sciences Nuernberg
  
• Free University of Berlin, Environmental Policy Research Unit (FFU), Berlin
  
• Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Munich
  
• InterTraining - Institut für Training & Consulting GmbH, Brühl
  
• Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT) im Wissenschaftszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen
  
• Institut für Kommunikation und Umwelt (iku), Dortmund
  
• Institut für Kreislaufwirtschaft (IkrW), Bremen
  
• Institute for Management and Environment (IMU), Augsburg
  
• Institut für Markt-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (imug), Hannover
  
• Institute for ecologic management, Siegen
  
• Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung (IRS), Erkner
  
• Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), Frankfurt/Main
  
• Institute of Forestry Economics (IFE), Freiburg
  
• Institute of structural policies and economic development, Halle-Leipzig
  
• Institut für Wohnungswesen, Immobilienwirtschaft, Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung, Bochum
  
• Jahrbuch Ökologie
  
• Junker und Kruse Stadtforschung-Stadtplanung, Dortmund
  
• Kienbaum Consulting, Berlin
  
• Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg
  
• Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU), Bonn
  
• Öko-Institut, Institute for Applied Ecology, Freiburg, Darmstadt, Berlin
  
• ÖKOTEC - Institute for applied environmental research, Berlin
  
• Rhein-Ruhr-Institut für Sozialforschung und Politikberatung e. V. an der Universität Duisburg-Essen (RISP), Duisburg
• Schlange & Co. GmbH, Consultants for Corporate Responsibility
• Sozialforschungsstelle (sfs), Dortmund
  
• Soziologisches Forschungsinstitut Göttingen (SOFI) an der Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen
  
• TransportTechnologie-Consult Karlsruhe (TTK) GmbH, Karlsruhe
  
• University Dortmund, Dortmund
  
• University Kassel, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre, Kassel
  
• University Oldenburg, Oldenburg
  
• University Trier, Taurus e.V., Trier
  
• Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy, Wuppertal