Students:Day Six - regional development and sustainability

Marcus Falke - Lueneburg Innovation Incubator: knowledge and regional development in the convergence region of Lueneburg. New central building planned and currently being constructed. Completed by 2015. University education model: four core areas - cultural sciences (digital media, etc), sustainability sciences (natural or social), management and entrepreneurship, education (teacher education, etc) Innovation Incubator: large scale EU project for regional economic development mainly financed by European Regional Development Fund (EUR 98m) consisting of 16 distinct activities. Runs from 2009 to 2015. Luneburg distcit struggles with low economic production, demographic problems, stagnation and below average new business start-up rates. Main aim is promote region through scientific input from university based on Lisbon Strategy to help EU become the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world. Strategic goals e.g. expansion of research force through attracting international scientists. Involves a lot of cooperation with SMEs in the individual Lueneburg regions research such as projects with visiting professorships, consultancy projects, etc. Sarah Velten: Starting points at the local and regioanl for realizingthe transition towards sustainable agriculture. Questions addressed: What is sustainable agriculture? Which factors on the local and regional level make the realisation of SA favour or impede it in general? Issues include the fact that there's no all-encompassing defintion of SA possible, conflicting view about SA, and alternative framing/circumscribing of SA. Lotte Lutz: case study regions of renewable energy transitions. Looking closely at mobility issues. Three foci: efficient use of energy sources, sufficiency (lifestyle changes - take bus instead of car), use of renewable energy sources. Which transition strategies fit best with which regions? What are the regional dynamics, e.g. how many people live in a region, what sort of jobs do they have, what is the home ownership structure (desire to invest)? Nine types of region result from the research to date, e.g. difference in sun, economic strength. Research question: what are the contextual factors for renewable energy use in regions? Jana Timm: Personal learning processes of sustainability entrepreneurs. How can we think business differently? What can be done differently in the private sector? Let's ask people who are already doing things differently, e.g. non-profit organisations but which take economic factors into consideration, eco-entrepreneurs (personality driven values), social entrepreneurs (focused on transformation in society). Integration of social and ecological values = sustainopreneurship (entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability). Examples of sustainability innovators: sustainable farming, e.g. crop rotations; sustainable furniture manufacturers (is there sustainable forest management, long-last furniture, no chemicals); sustainable financial consultancy (for renewable energy projects, reforestation).