Leibniz Association: Strategy Forums

Research and topics areas that concern several Leibniz Institutes are frequently based on existing interdisciplinary profiles of the Leibniz institutions and are identified by the Leibniz Association Sections and Executive Board. This process receives additional support from Leibniz Strategy Forums, which consider and report on shared concerns and developments. The Executive Board (or a project group responsible for the topic) nominates, on the recommendation of the President, scientific leaders, depending on the topic in question.

Leibniz Strategy Forum on Open Science

The Leibniz Strategy Forum on Open Science is tasked with supporting the Leibniz Association and its institutions in their strategic developments in the field of open science, and with positioning itself as a central point of contact for open science issues. The strategy forum relies on the networking and open science expertise of the Leibniz institutions, which, regardless of their disciplinary affiliation, focus on the common question of how to establish open science practices. In this sense, the strategy forum envisions bundling the open science activities within the Leibniz Association across all Sections and promoting the visibility of these activities at national, European and international levels. In addition, it plans to create an environment for cooperative research into conditions for success in open science.

The background to this is the changes in scientific work in the context of digital transformation, for which the opening up of research has become a central paradigm. Open science aims to create transparency and reproducibility of research and thus makes an important contribution to safeguarding good scientific practice. Moreover, conditions and requirements for scientific work are increasingly shifting towards open practices. The Leibniz Association has identified open science as an important strategic field of action to address this shift and to support a culture of openness in day-to-day research practice in the Leibniz institutions.

Website

Members of the Strategy Forum on Open Science (PDF)

Leibniz Strategy Forum on Research Assessment

The Leibniz Strategy Forum on Research Assessment has the task of bringing together the various activities on the subject of scientific performance assessment in which Leibniz representatives within and outside the Leibniz Association are involved. It is also intended to serve as a platform for regular exchange with external experts and to stimulate further development of the Leibniz evaluation and assessment procedures.

Over the next two years, the members of the Leibniz Strategy Forum on Research Assessment will therefore identify and prioritise fields of action at the joint level and draw up recommendations for implementation. In doing so, the Leibniz procedures will be examined against the background of the signing of the agreement of the "Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment" (CoARA), which provides the basis for the initiated review and adaptation.

Members of the strategy forum on research assessment (pdf)

Leibniz Strategy Forum on Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

The role of the Leibniz Strategy Forum on Sustainable Agri-Food Systems is to ascertain the Leibniz Association’s interdisciplinary expertise for overcoming conflicts of objectives in agricultural and aquatic production systems. As we now know, agriculture and fisheries are drivers of soil and water eutrophication, biodiversity loss and climate change. Conversely, far-reaching structural change and climate change pose major challenges for farming, fisheries, and aquaculture. What strategies exist to minimise these conflicting objectives? How can production systems that were previously considered separately be connected? How can global interactions be taken into account? There is a lack of holistic, forward-looking models and transferable solutions. New technologies and digital transformation could close this gap and enable sustainable biomass production.

The members of the two-year strategy forum are working together, and with stakeholders, to develop a methodological framework and research approach for sustainable biomass production systems.

Flyer Agricultural, Food and Nutrition Research (PDF)

Members of the strategy forum on sustainable agri-food systems (pdf)

Leibniz Innovation Farm

Leibniz Strategy Forum on Technological Sovereignty

The mission of the Leibniz Strategy Forum on Technological Sovereignty is to develop holistic contributions of Leibniz Institutes to value chains of key enabling technologies. Technologies are crucial to addressing global challenges such as climate change, digitalization, and public health. Maintaining and strengthening sovereignty in key technological fields is therefore an essential basis for the future competitiveness and prosperity of Germany and Europe. The aim here is to link important parts of the innovation and value chains through an in-depth approach that also includes fundamental research.

Over the next two years, the participating Leibniz Institutes will engage in an intensive exchange within the Leibniz Association and other stakeholders from industry, science, and politics. The goal is to jointly formulate a strategy for further developing important technology fields in Germany. To elaborate specific technological topics, six thematic Leibniz clusters are currently being set up: Health Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Materials for Digitalization, Quantum Technologies, Hydrogen Economy, and Future Communication.

Further Information

Members of the Strategy Forum on Technological Sovereignty (PDF)

Archive - closed Leibniz Strategy Forums

The Leibniz Strategy Forum on Digital Transformation is assigned with investigating the expertise of the Leibniz Association in using, researching and shaping digital transformation and with generating new ideas for interdisciplinary perspectives. It discusses digital transformation in the context of the Leibniz Association, research and society. The Strategy Forum sees the disciplinary diversity of the Leibniz Association as a key strength, particularly when it comes to addressing the social and research implications of digitalisation.
Not everyone in society is equally involved in digital transformation. So it is necessary to agree on the forms of digital expertise and to discuss specific measures to promote it in research and in society. What contribution is the Leibniz Association making to shaping digital transformation? We address this through the following questions, among others: What structures are necessary to promote open science? Under what conditions can digital cultural assets be made freely accessible to everyone? How can the existing diversity of digital tools and media in research be used efficiently and transparently?
Members of the Strategy Forum on Digital Transformation (PDF)
Whitepaper Leibniz Strategic Forum on Digital Change (PDF)
The Leibniz Strategy Forum on European Research is assigned to determine Europe and its (current) political and social challenges: Following the Brexit referendum, the Leibniz Association takes up on the widely differing understandings of the idea, aim, constitution and commitment of the European Union and to investigate in breadth and depth of the expertise and activities within the Leibniz Association in the research topic “Europe.”
The background is research activities that deal with European Union topics and experiences of European collaboration and memberships. Potential starting points are democracy and integration in the European Union or, in the context of the European Research Area, the added value of European research funding. On the one hand, the Leibniz Strategy Forum on European Research identifies possible areas for further research and joint research projects, which the Leibniz Association could push ahead with in the future. And on the other, it opens up Europe as a topic for public discussion of socially relevant questions. The Strategy Forum is explicitly interdisciplinary in its composition and working methods.
Members of the Strategy Forum on european Research (PDF)