Working groups
To strengthen sustainability research in Germany and to support scientists working on sustainability topics and sustainable development, the DKN establishes working groups. These interdisciplinary working groups initiate research activities in the context of Future Earth and WCRP as well as in the context of the DKN position paper "Research priorities for sustainability science" published in February 2022. The working groups are a core element in the work of the DKN. They make a decisive contribution to the conceptualization of (topics of) sustainability research within the framework of Future Earth and WCRP and thus contribute to the profile of the DKN.
New working groups 2024
In December 2024, five new working groups have started their activities on the DKN platform. DKN working groups can receive funding of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for three in-person meetings. The working groups are established for a maximum period of two years.
Working groups (2024-2026)
- Green skills for implementing public policy programs
- Resilient circular economy 5.0 in a global context
- Critical elements for the energy and climate transition-local sustainability and global development of georesources
- Rethinking sustainable development through post growth
- Reforms for european biodiversity conservation (BIODIVREFORM)
Working groups (2022-2024)
- Sustainable AI (Artificial Intelligence)
- Alternative sustainabilities. Between local contexts and global measures
- Linking Real-World Laboratory and disciplinary research - Fostering novel scientific insights and sustainability transformation (LinkLab)
- Meat alternatives for a nutrition transition - "Getting started?!"
- Multi-risk and societal resilience in extreme events
- Consistent technology risk profiles for transitioning to sustainable low carbon emission scenarios (RiskTranScens)
Working groups (2020-2022)
Previous working groups
In the period from 2015 to 2020 ten DKN working groups and two co-design project groups were in place. They presented their results in position papers, scientific publications or conferences. They were funded by the DFG and supported by a committee member and the DKN secretariat. Working groups are an important instrument to reach the DKN’s main aims to develop the scientific agenda and to support German scientists in the development of relevant research activities within Future Earth and WCRP.
These working groups have been active in the last years:
- Transformation corridors for sustainable consumption (2018-2020)
- Shipping Emissions in the German Baltic and North Sea Region (2018-2019)
- Societal resilience and climate extremes (2017-2019)
- Sustainable work (2017-2019)
- Urban sustainability transformations (2017-2019)
- Social innovations in energy policy making (2016-2018)
- The social aspects in social-ecological models and simulations of sustainability research (2015-2017)
- Co-Design, Co-Production and Co-Dissemination (2015-2017)
- Positive Impacts through land use change (2015-2017)
- Sustainable intensification in agriculture (2015-2017)
Co-design project groups were:
- SDGs and cities (2017-2019)
- More land use diversity - Regionalize it! (2017-2018)