Reallabore - Perspektiven für ein Forschungsformat im Aufwind

Wuppertaler Impuls zur Nachhaltigkeit

  • Publications 18.06.2019

The Wuppertal Institute has played a decisive role in shaping the research format of real-world laboratories both conceptually and practically. Especially in the last five years this format has experienced high attention. Real-world laboratories are experimental spaces in which the focus lays on developing, testing and exploring sustainable and future-oriented solutions. Researchers and practitioners, such as civil society, are pulling in the same direction. They take up different roles with different competencies, but work together at eye level. This opens up new perspectives and creates a holistic approach. Participants can initiate transformation processes participatively and cooperatively, and thereby stabilise scientific and social learning processes.

Against this background, the In Brief looks at the prospects for future research in real-world laboratories. Three recommendations are of central importance:

  1. alignment to the core characteristics of the original real-world laboratory idea,
  2. systematic capacity building for real-world laboratories in the science system and
  3. the establishment of long-term real laboratory structures.

For the transformation research of the Wuppertal Institute, the work in real-world laboratories is so important because it can initiate and examine processes of change in all four dimensions of "Zukunftskunst", i.e. transformative shaping of the future – regardless of whether these are technological, economic, institutional or cultural processes of change.


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