Transferprojects "WZB wirkt" Winners
Winners 2024
The transfer of social science research findings for society is one of the core interests of the Friends of the WZB. Thus, in 2024, they announced ‘WZB Wirkt’ for the third time. The winning project in 2024 was ‘Effective against the far right. Evidence-based strategies for dealing with the far right’ by Christin Jänicke, Hans Jonas Gunzelmann and Teresa Völker from the Centre for Civil Society Research. It aims to combine scientific evidence and civil society experience with practical recommendations for civil society actors. In workshops, civil society actors from various non-profit organisations will be encouraged in their dealings with the far right and their ability to act will be enhanced. A jointly developed handout will then be made available to interested organisations and institutions.
You can read the report on the workshop in November 2024 here.
Previous Winners
In 2023, the Friends of the WZB announced once again 40,000 euros from their association's membership fees for the funding of transfer projects from the WZB. Nearly a dozen applications were received. They impressed with great breadth, creativity, and passion. Thus a well-mixed committee, consisting of researchers and research support staff of the WZB, Friends of the WZB and the journalist in residence of the institute, selected three applications for funding:
- Lena Hipp and Sandra Leumann: "Because my sweetheart is a firefighter?! Filmic realization of a research project on the effects of gender-atypical career choices on dating opportunities"
Thanks to the project funding, Lena Hipp and Sandra Leumann from the Work and Welfare research group will be able to expand their existing pilot film on the topic of "Dating opportunities for men and women in gender-atypical professions" with their research findings. The jury particularly praised the transfer character, which conveys not only the content but also the innovative social science methodology and is based on the everyday experiences of the younger generation in particular. - Julia Stier: Workshops on migration and integration research at Berlin schools
Julia Stier from the Migration, Integration, Transnationalization research unit is planning a cooperation project with two partners from the NGO "Migration Matters" that will inform pupils in workshops about evidence-based research findings on migration, integration and diversity and establish a differentiated culture of discussion. Pupils and teachers can contribute their own experiences and perspectives as experts. The jury highlighted the project's contribution of incorporating a topic that is often not included in the curriculum. - Jonas Ferdinand: Award ceremony: Gamejam Future of Work - Transfer between science, society and digital industry
With the support of the Friends of the WZB, Jonas Ferdinand, scholarship holder of the doctoral program "Good Work in a Transformative World" will offer prize money in a game jam. There, interdisciplinary teams of game developers and scientists will program the prototype of a game on "the future of work". The winning game will convey social science findings on the world of work and show visions for future working environments. By harnessing the digital gaming world, the jury saw a forward-looking method with which a younger and diverse target group can be addressed.
- Lena Ulbricht: „‘Festifuneral’ - binäre Denk‐ und Ordnungsstrukturen in Wissenschaft, Politik und Kunst überwinden“. Lena Ulbricht, together with Thamy Pogrebinschi, representatives of the Karneval der Kulturen Berlin and other institutions and initiatives, is planning an innovative two-day festival in Berlin that will present and explore in workshops the fusion of modes of perception and expression from science, politics, art and social movements.
- Jan Wetzel, Silvio Suckow et al.: „In guter Gesellschaft – Soziale Zusammenhänge verstehen und mitgestalten“. While the explanation of natural science issues has become more and more prevalent in video formats in social media, especially since the beginning of the pandemic, the social sciences remain less visible. Jan Wetzel, Silvio Suckow and their colleagues plan to develop a twenty-minute video format that takes viewers on walks through everyday situations, their social implications, and social science explanations.
- Sarah George und Theresa Pfaff: „Gestaltung einer inklusiven Verkehrswende. Parkraumbewirtschaftung als Maßnahme gegen den Klimawandel im Experimentierraum Kreuzberg“. Sarah George and Theresa Pfaff take the results of the DiMo research group's many years of research and surveys to the places where they originated. Workshops and events on parking management and traffic planning are to take place in the middle of the Kreuzberg neighborhood; in particular, tradespeople, people with disabilities, and people with a migration background, who are rarely involved in the political design process, are to be invited.
The project by Tommaso Virgili and Ruud Kooomans for the WZB seminar series "Liberalism and Islam in contemporary society" convinced the commission in terms of content and as extremely relevant in sociopolitical terms. It will be implemented at the WZB in another form.
Thus, the call for applications proved to be a complete success. The high response rate and the creative applications made this more than clear. Also the selection meeting itself was a very best example of transfer and participation and a living proof for the Friends that their generous annual contributions are well spent. A second call is planned for next year.