Exploring markets (Wissen für den Markt – WiMa)

The Exploring Markets project encourages researchers at the GEI to consider the knowledge and technology transfer possibilities of their projects, from the initial project idea to the final presentation of findings. The Exploring Markets team tests methods and tools for the successful transfer of knowledge and technology from humanities and cultural studies research.

  • #Efficacy

    Only [knowledge and technology] transfer allows research-based knowledge to be effective for society’ (Preamble, Transfer Concept of the Leibniz Association: Leitbild Transfer der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, 2019).


  • #Central tasks

    Knowledge and technology transfer is a core undertaking and, together with research, teaching and academic infrastructure services, one of the one of the key performance dimensions of scientific and academic institutions.’ (Position paper issued by the German Council of Science and Humanities [Wissenschaftsrat]: Wissens- und Technologietransfer als Gegenstand institutioneller Strategien. Positionspapier, 2016, p. 5).


  • #Responsibility

    ‘As a result of current trends in media and society, of doubting scientifically generated findings and facts, the whole of science and academia is facing a particular challenge to clearly articulate the quality of its results and how they were achieved.’ (Perspectives, Transfer concept of the Leibniz Association: Leitbild Transfer der Leibnitz Gemeinschaft, 2019).


  • #Exchange

    Research, research infrastructures, and knowledge and technology transfer form the core areas of the GEI’s work and are consistently interwoven throughout that work. Transfer involves all activities through which the knowledge and skills of the Institute and its staff are brought together with the initiatives, requirements and expertise of non-academic stakeholders at a national and international level.’ (GEI definition of transfer, 2021).


  • The project

    As a research institute that both conducts and enables educational media research, the GEI hopes to contribute to improvements in education in schools around the globe. It therefore provides transfer activities, based on critical research, for national and international education practitioners, educational media producers and policy makers. These activities predominantly encompass consultation, education and training, and the development of instructional materials. The Exploring Markets project is helping to refine the Institute’s knowledge and technology transfer activities by providing ways to support researchers in generating, implementing and evaluating transfer ideas and describing the impact of transfer activities.

    As a result, a methodology toolbox has been created in order to...
    ... recognise external (and internal) requirements,
    ... discover and evaluate economic and transfer potential,
    ... understand market mechanisms,
    ... support the selection of appropriate economic and transfer routes,
    ... develop and evaluate innovative and user-friendly transferable products and ‘market’ them in the most favourable way.


  • The Institute’s work

    The Exploring Markets project team has so far been able to develop and test a series of methods related to different transfer steps. As all transfer activities are different, these must be individually examined and adapted. Below is an overview of the areas in which the Exploring Markets team has gained experience and in which it can offer its expertise to GEI staff in the form of consultation, workshops materials etc.: 

    • Identifying transfer potential
    • Advice on development and transfer formats
    • Target group identification and analysis
    • Market analysis
    • Evaluation of knowledge and technology transfer
    • Project organisation and links with other GEI products
    • Generation and evaluation of impact /impact potential

    The project team is prepared to find appropriate methods for topics that may be missing from the above list, and for which support or advice is required, and to work collaboratively to test them.

    In addition to project-specific support, the Exploring Markets team also accompanies projects teams and individuals through the entire transfer process: from the identification of actionable research findings to the evaluation of a product and its application.



Contact

 Willem Biehl
Willem Biehl
Deputy Head of Transfer | Project Head ‘Lehrplan Plus’
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