Participation and stakeholder engagement

Shaping transformation processes -
participatory and creative

Sustainable change processes through early involvement

For more than ten years, we have seen participation at Fraunhofer UMSICHT as a process and an ongoing task. Through project-related highlight events, we constantly create new moments of contact between science, companies and society. As pioneers in a sustainable world, we involve users, citizens and stakeholders in research and change processes as early as possible in order to accompany and shape necessary transformation tasks in a participatory manner. By actively involving people, we gain strong partners in dealing with complex issues and change processes.

With our interdisciplinary team, we analyze technologies, products and urban spaces. In doing so, we consider interactions with people and society against the backdrop of global and regional challenges such as climate change, digitalization, circular economy or bio-based economy.

We support and advise you in your individual projects and transformation tasks, e.g. in the optimization of existing products, the adaptation or introduction of new technologies or the development of new strategies, also in a municipal context.

Target group-specific participation methods

We use and expand methods from innovation management, design, psychology, social sciences and applied urban research.

Whether co-creation, interventions, sprints, world café, round tables, user-centered product tests, speculative design, design thinking, exhibitions, focus groups, interviews or online surveys - with our methods we create an open culture of discussion, stimulate creativity and connect different stakeholders. We raise awareness of challenges, take different perspectives into account and create understanding in an atmosphere of trust. Depending on the project objectives, we develop participation concepts for multi-year research projects, studies or individual product tests. We create appealing graphics and impact models or build illustrative models and prototypes to make results and subjects of negotiation as clear and understandable as possible.

These formats and methods benefit from the close cooperation with the technical and systems analysis departments at the institute in the focus areas of Circular Economy, Carbon Management, Green Hydrogen and Local Energy Systems.

Your added value through our holistic approach

Through our work and the independent view of science, we accelerate innovation and make decision-making processes clearer and more robust. Our holistic approach helps you to minimize your risks in product and technology development and to align your strategy sustainably. We integrate the view of people and society into our scientific and technical approaches and into the results in the form of guidelines, options for action, concepts and systematic optimizations, which leads to acceptable solutions for the future.

Places for interaction and participation

We operate three locations with different focuses:

  • "Supermarket of Ideas" in Oberhausen city center for citizens as an open workshop and meeting space with a focus on sustainable urban development
  • "Makerspace" at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen with prototype workshop and exhibition space for interdisciplinary, digital and agile product development

Your way to working with us

We would be happy to create a customized offer for you, develop research projects with participatory elements together with you and look for funding opportunities. Sabrina Schreiner and Simone Krause will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Formats of participatory science  

  • In workshops, participants acquire both new skills and new knowledge. They become active themselves and create something with their own hands. The open atmosphere, a possible reference to everyday life, the (shared) enthusiasm for the topic and the exchange among each other enable an informal entry – even to complex and/or ambivalent topics. Additionally, exchange of opinions as well as first deeper discussions can arise and be promoted. Workshops are also a good introduction to other formats. 

    Possible applications

    • informal, low-threshold introduction to complex and/or ambivalent topics 
    • transfer of knowledge and skills 
    • dialog  
    • empowerment 
    • optional: community building

    Number of participants 

    • up to 15 people
    Praesenzworkshop
    © Roland Baege
  • In digital workshops, participants acquire new skills under guidance. In the process, they become active themselves and create something. Digital workshops also enable an informal introduction to complex and/or ambivalent topics through everyday relevance and (shared) enthusiasm. However, this format brings with it special challenges: Since both the physical proximity and the personal exchange on the sidelines of the event are missing, the typical workshop atmosphere is lost. In order to ensure a sense of togetherness even in the digital space, there are various approaches – from sending out "workshop packages" to targeted exchange sessions. Another challenge: exchanges of opinion and initial in-depth discussions emerge less quickly in digital workshops. They must therefore be consciously encouraged. A good technical setting is also central to the smooth running of the workshop. Digital workshops are also suitable as an introduction to other formats. 

    Possible applications

    • informal, low-threshold introduction to complex and or ambivalent topics 
    • transfer of knowledge and skills 
    • dialog 
    • empowerment 
    • optional: community building 

    Number of participants 

    • 15 to 30 people depending on the type of workshop 
    Digitale Workshops
  • Exhibitions can be used to convey knowledge in a vivid way. Every visitor has the opportunity to grasp content at his or her individual pace. Even if exhibitions are classically rather one-directional, interactive elements can encourage people to share their own points of view or even participate in research themselves. These elements can be analog, digital, hybrid, or even entirely personal through conversation.

    Possible applications

    • knowledge transfer
    • receive feedback 

    Number of participants 

    • unlimited 
    Interaktive Ausstellung
    © Judith Schanz
  • Discourse formats offer a platform for a dialog-oriented exchange between science and society. Through personal discussions with experts, participants can develop a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and topics. At the same time, dialog and discourse formats can help scientists to better understand and take into account the perspectives and needs of the target groups involved. They can be conducted both in person and digitally. In both variants, moderation supports the exchange and articulation of positions.

    Possible applications

    • knowledge transfer 
    • strengthen understanding of scientific work
    • receive feedback 
    • dialog
    • enable participation
    • citizen science

    Number of participants 

    • depending on format up to 15 people
    Dialog- und Diskursformate
    © Frank Vinken | dwb
  • For micro expeditions, we develop content and instructions that enable participants to individually explore or rediscover their unknown or (supposedly) familiar surroundings. Simple methods make it possible to take a new perspective with little preparation and to become discoverers. During each microexpedition, new phenomena can be observed and connections made visible. 

    One focus is on teaching scientific working methods. In this way, participants can learn in a playful way why it is important to repeat experiments and observations, compare data, critically question them and exchange ideas. The microexpeditions are designed in such a way that they are accessible to as many people as possible without much effort. They can be conducted alone or as guided microexpeditions. The latter also allow direct exchange with scientists. 

    Possible applications

    • awakening enthusiasm for scientific work 
    • provide an understanding of scientific work 
    • opening eyes to phenomena in one's own environment 
    • knowledge transfer
    • citizen science

    Number of participants 

    • up to 25 people 
    Mikroexpedition

Reference projects around participation and stakeholder engagement

 

EKODA

Circular economy in the automotive industry

In the "EKODA" project, researchers are exploring alternative utilization routes, levers and barriers to the circular economy, working on acceptance in practice, and developing business models to reuse, rather than recycle, used automotive components.

 

Syschemiq

EU transformation to more plastics recycling

In the international research and demonstration project Syschemiq, 21 consortium partners from five EU countries plan to facilitate the systemic transition to a plastics circular economy in cities, regions and their associations.

 

LeNa-Move

Research in societal responsibility

In the LeNa project (Leitfaden Nachhaltigkeit), researchers published eight criteria in the form of a framework for reflection and further guidelines for action under the guiding principle of "research in societal responsibility". Now the follow-up project LeNa-Move is investigating how it can apply these criteria in concrete terms.

 

 

e:Lab

Citizen lab for energy innovations

In an open workshop, scientists work together with citizens to research what energy generation and energy saving could look like in the future. The aim of the project is to actively involve citizens in the energy technology process in order to develop solutions at the local level.

 

 

LUZI

Laboratory for urban future questions

In the Laboratory for Urban Future Issues and Innovations, LUZI for short, a transdisciplinary empirical investigation is conducted in a creative environment into how and through which target groups a maker space can sustainably function.

 

Search for traces

Micro-expeditions on climate change

Micro-expeditions on climate change were developed and tested in close cooperation with experts. The micro-expedition planner now gives anyone interested the opportunity to become an explorer themselves and follow in the footsteps of scientists.

 

SAIN

Urban agriculture

In the procect SAIN (Urban Agriculture - Innoation) knowldege about urban food production is bundled, technologies and production facilities are made more accessible and new ideas are developed

 

 

Farming the Uncanny Valley

Discourse about
bioeconomy and
biotechnology

In the project »Farming the Uncanny Valley – MACHT NATUR« Fraunhofer UMSICHT develops new participation concepts together with partners in order to bring citizens and scientists together concerning bioeconomy.

 

 

Innovative Citizen (IC)

Events for a democratic technology

The Innovative Citizen Festival aims to enable citizens to actively participate in current technological developments and the discourse surrounding them. In November 2024, the focus was on the topic “Creating utopias from dystopias”.

 

Alte Bekannte (Old acquaintances)

Bioeconomy for a sustainable everyday life

Bioeconomy was discussed on a tour of Germany. “Old acquaintances” - everyday or forgotten things such as sauerkraut, wine or compost - provided an introduction to the diverse topics of the bioeconomy via an exhibition and DIY workshops.

 

c.lab

Creative lab for Oberhausen

The creative lab c.lab aims at creating a sustainable and participative city development in Oberhausen.