Completed research

Funding: Austrian Climate and Energy Fund
Amount of funding: € 106,513 (RCE: € 56,898)
Duration: 02/2021 - 07/2023
Cooperation partners: IFZ Graz, Raiffeisenverband Steiermark, Sozialmedizinisches Zentrum SMZ Liebenau, Verein Illusions (Triesterviertel district center), Styrian Chamber of Agriculture, Petra Herout
Contact persons: Dr. Andreas Exner (project management)

Description:
CoopsForFood investigates how Alternative Food Networks (ALN) as an example of Diverse Economies of Sustainable Food can be made more economically and socially accessible with the help of cooperative structures and thus become a new alternative mainstream. To this end, the project focuses on three districts in Graz with insufficient local supply and a high proportion of marginalized people: the Triesterviertel, Jakominiviertel and Grünanger. In the sense of activating and participatory research within the framework of an approach oriented towards everyday life, CoopsForFood initiates, organizes and investigates three activities: (1) a founding impulse for a cooperatively structured Community Supported Agriculture CSA 2.0 in a multi-stakeholder format, (2) a founding impulse for a municipal support center for integrative food sharing, (3) a participatory discourse intervention based on food stories that encourage the creative and sustainable appropriation of everyday food. Among other things, the project is developing a manual for founding a CSA 2.0.

About the partner project TICS Urban Platform Economies

Funding: Austrian National Bank
Amount of funding: € 124,000 (RCE: € 63,488)
Duration: 11/2020 - 06/2023
Cooperation partners: Medical University of Vienna, WIFO, Verein Soziokratie
Contact persons: Dr. Andreas Exner, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anke Strüver (project management)
Description: Urban green infrastructure can promote public health in a cost-effective way by improving the ecological quality of urban environments. However, the criteria for the functionality of green infrastructure differ depending on the social group and type of stakeholder. Against this background, the project analyzes the social specificity of green infrastructure imaginaries and assesses their ecosystem services, including the impact on health. For this purpose, a case study in Vienna will be conducted. For a better understanding of the social differences of green space imaginations and scenarios, the project examines action, perception and emotional spaces as well as socio-economic factors with reference to the lifestyle and mentality of social milieus.

Social Economy Platform

Funding: Climate and Energy Fund
Amount of funding: € 7,500
Duration: 03/2023 - 06/2023
Team: Andreas Exner (project manager), Markus Blümel (research associate), Dirk Raith (research associate)
Description: In the face of a climate catastrophe that is complexly intertwined with other crises, international and national institutions are increasingly supporting a holistic, systemic transformation of the economy towards the principles of the social economy. This refers to economically active organizations that primarily pursue social or ecological goals and are often democratically or participatively organized. Their potential is emphasized by the EU, OECD, ILO and the WEF, among others. The EU has formulated goals for their further development in an action plan. Nevertheless, the social economy is still barely visible in Austria and receives too little support. In addition, the diverse actors in this field of practice have so far acted in a fragmented manner. Against this background, the RCE Graz-Styria of the University of Graz organized the 1st Social Economy Conference in Austria on 24.11.2022 in cooperation with the Center for Social Economy (ZfSW). Around 50 key players in the social economy acted as co-organizers. Around 200 people attended the conference. The project "Building a Social Economy Platform" aims to strengthen and consolidate the impetus of the Social Economy Conference and contribute to strengthening the social economy (social and solidarity-based economies) in Austria and making it more visible.

Data collection on the social economy in Austria

Funding: EISMEA
Overall project management: EURICSE
Funding amount: EUR 5,500 Uni Graz for the Austrian sub-project
Duration: June to the end of September 2023 for the Austrian sub-project
Uni Graz team: Maria Anastasiadis (Inst. f. Erziehungs- und Bildungswissenschaft, project management of the Austrian team), Dirk Raith, Andreas Exner (RCE Graz-Styria)
Cooperation partners of the Austrian sub-project: CIRIEC Spatial Foresight GmbH, EMES International Research Network asbl

Description: The study entitled "Improving the socio-economic knowledge of the proximity and social economy ecosystem (EISMEA/2022/OP/0015). Lot 1: Benchmarking the socio-economic performance of the EU social economy" aims to 1) collect qualitative and quantitative data to enable evidence-based policy on the social economy in the context of the EU's industrial strategy, 2) contribute to policy making on the social economy at national and EU level, based on information on the recovery of the industrial ecosystem of the proximity and social economy in the context of the COVID-19 crisis; and 3) support national statistical authorities and those at EU level to generate high-quality data and develop new indicators that measure the socio-economic impact of the social economy.

Funding: Austrian Climate and Energy Fund
Amount of funding: € 99,664 EUR,-
Duration: 06/2022 - 05/2023
Partner: KMU Forschung Austria
Contact person: Dr. Andreas Exner (project manager)
Description: Social and solidarity economies (SSE) have recently found their way into EU strategies for socio-ecological transformation under the name of social economy. The ClimCoopSuccess project investigates the potential of these democratically managed companies for climate protection. The project examines good examples across the EU, analyzes success factors and develops recommendations for policy makers. Effective climate protection requires not only technological but also social innovations. ClimCoopSuccess examines what contribution social and solidarity economies (SSE) can make to this structural change.In the analysis of cooperatives, civil society enterprises and social enterprises, ClimCoopSuccess pays particular attention to the importance of organizational democracy. In order to better understand the impact of organizational and regulatory frameworks, good examples of SSE in European focus regions are selected and subjected to a multi-stage empirical analysis. On this basis, recommendations for action are formulated for Austria.

Funding: Climate and Energy Fund
Amount of funding: € 329,993.00
Duration: 04/2020 - 03/2023
Partners: StadtLABOR - Innovationen für urbane Lebensqualität GmbH, Bravestone Information-Technology GmbH
Contact persons: Dr. Andreas Exner, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anke Strüver (project management)

Description: Together with people and organizations living in the new "My Smart City Graz" district, the project will develop initiatives for sharing objects, spaces, knowledge, services and responsibility in "My Smart City Graz" and adjacent districts. These initiatives will be concretized in a future conference and subsequent working groups. Relevant social processes will be researched in parallel. In addition to the development of neighborhood assistance and volunteer work, SMASH also aims to promote commercial enterprises that focus on sharing, namely cooperatives in which resources are managed jointly. In all these cases, SMASH is about people and organizations sharing not only resources but also responsibilities. Digital technologies can support sharing. These activities should help to make "My Smart City Graz" a sustainable district, support ecological behavior, strengthen social cohesion and thus also promote quality of life. The experience gained in the project should facilitate future smart urban development processes towards solidarity-based economies.

Further information on the project:
https://cityofcollaboration.org/smash/
https://www.mysmartcitygraz.at/smart/smash_teilen-und-tauschen/

This project is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund and carried out as part of the "Smart Cities Demo - Living Urban Innovation 2019" program.

This EU-funded contract research examines the conditions for fair public procurement with reference to the needs and potential of the social economy. It develops a basis for the implementation of capacity building workshops to strengthen fair public procurement.

The project is led by Maria Anastasiadis (Inst. f. Erziehungs- und Bildungswissenschaft, project leader of the Austrian team) in collaboration with Andreas Exner. Michaela Schneebacher conducts stakeholder interviews on behalf of the Inst. f. Education and Educational Science.

Funding: RCE Graz-Styria
Amount of funding: € 3,000
Duration: 03/2022 - 06/2022
Staff member and associated staff member: BA Livia Cepoiu, MA Stephanie Arzberger
Contact persons: Dr. Andreas Exner

Description:
The project synthesizes the results of a project at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) entitled "Smart & Edible", which was funded by the City of Vienna's Jubilee Fund for the WU. Based on the discussion paper on the project, which was published by WU(https://www-sre.wu.ac.at/sre-disc/sre-disc-2021_09.pdf), a German-language article will be prepared and submitted.

Funding: Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) (1st call for Bridge Young Scientists)
Project number: 872615
Amount of fundingt: € 256,352.00
Duration: 07/2019 - 06/2022
Partner: Schwarz.Platzer.Architekten.zt-gmbh
Contact person: Dr. Thomas Höflehner

Description: Since July 2019, the three-year FFG Bridge project S'ReVit has been dedicated to the development of a systemic approach to the implementation of a "smart revitalization" of residential buildings, which, in addition to energy and ecological improvements to the building fabric, also takes into account support measures to increase the social sustainability of the residents. In the context of the research project, revitalization is seen as an extended form of refurbishment (which only includes technical and structural measures). This can also include conversion or modernization; in any case, the residents of the existing facility are included in the process. The development of innovative participatory approaches and formats should enable new perspectives on the everyday lives of residents, the further development of the building stock and the socio-spatial fabric. This also increases the acceptance of refurbishment measures and removes barriers, which can therefore also contribute to an increase in the refurbishment rate. It also promotes awareness of sustainable lifestyles among residents, which in turn can help to avoid rebound effects. This comprehensive and innovative approach to the topic of revitalization is indicated by the suffix "smart". Accordingly, the process and method development for the integrative revitalization of existing buildings focuses on the early and systematic involvement of residents and is intended to provide implementing actors with efficient models for user participation and the promotion of social sustainability. All project results are available on theS'ReVit websiteor are available for download.

Duration: 01/2020 - 12/2020
Partner: Transition Graz
Contact person: Dr. Andreas Exner

Description: The City of Collaboration project is dedicated to the potential of collaborative forms of business and attempts to create an environment for this through targeted, structured collaboration. The goals of the project are the development of a transformation guide for the city of Graz, the design of a traveling exhibition, the initiation of student cooperatives, a national trade fair and the development of a concept for a Collaborative Innovation Hub as a start-up center for cooperatives. The project is being carried out as part of the Graz Year of Culture 2020.

Funding: StartClim, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Amount of funding: € 19,753 (RCE: € 9,965)
Duration: 10/2020 - 07/2021
Cooperation partner: Medical University of Vienna
Contact person: Dr. Andreas Exner

Description: Climate policy measures encounter several interwoven resistances. These include special economic interests, short-term political horizons for action, habits of everyday life, dependence on fossil fuels and a lack of concepts for a society that consumes considerably fewer resources. Positive images of the future play a key role here. This is because they are a condensation of desires, life goals, moral orientations and political concepts of order that give meaning to actions, describe development directions and open up opportunities. However, serious climate policy has so far mostly been associated with renouncing and restricting one's own way of life. The structural obstacles to a socio-ecological transformation are often emphasized more than the potential gains in prosperity. In contrast, new, strategically useful, evidence-based societal guiding principles are needed. They should make it clear what individual and social benefits a climate-friendly society offers. For this reason, the RCE Graz-Styria, together with the Center for Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna, wants to record the key dimensions of future visions of a climate-friendly society as part of this StartClim2020 project , quantitatively assess their impact on health and develop transformation scenarios together with stakeholders. The aim is to develop the scientific basis for a follow-up project on the health aspects of a socio-ecological transformation towards a climate-friendly society. > Project end report

Duration: 03/2020 - 02/2021
Partners: Junior Fellow: Marcella Rowek; Incoming Senior Fellow: Prof. Dr. Sybille Bauriedl, Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental, Social and Human Sciences, Department of Geography, Europa-Universität Flensburg; Incoming Junior Fellows: Yannick Ecker, Henk Wiechers
Contact person: Univ.Prof. Dr. Anke Strüver
Description: The term "smart city" describes less the status of a city than the promise of increasing the quality of life in cities by means of digital technologies. Digital communication, digital infrastructures and digital connectivity are increasingly permeating the public and private spaces of working and everyday life. On the one hand, increasing digitalization offers potential for new forms of urban coexistence and, at the same time, shows a tendency towards universalization and standardization by dominant digital corporations (see Bauriedl/Strüver 2018: Smart Cities. Critical perspectives on digitalization in cities. Transcript).
As part of smart city strategies and the supply-driven expansion of platform economies, the areas of care work and mobility in particular are subject to great dynamism in large cities. Care platforms are offering an ever-increasing range of services (care, food and grocery delivery, house cleaning and gardening). Mobility platforms are offering more and more means of transportation (city cars, vans, bicycles, cargo bikes, e-scooters, e-scooters) and usage options (stationary or unbound, self-driving, shared or autonomous driving). Where and how these infrastructures and services are expanded is an expression of social power relations. The rapid expansion of online platforms shows a hierarchizing characteristic: a commodification of care and mobility services combined with the enforcement of precarious working conditions along gender and whiteness and an exclusive offer in socially privileged districts. Caring and sharing services reproduce a gendered division of labour and the special demand for care and mobility services in socially marginalized districts is hardly served. The digitalization promises for smart cities do not apply to the city as a whole, but rather to islands of smart privilege that already have excellent supply infrastructures. As part of the fellowship, these observations will be examined in more detail with the following questions for selected major European cities: Do the promises of smart city discourses (effectiveness, availability and quality of life through digital technologies) address a gendered and racialized division of labour? Do platform-mediated care and mobility services lead to social and spatial privileges and intersectional hierarchizations?

Funding: Fritz Thyssen Foundation
Amount of funding: € 111,100.00
Duration: 01/2016 - 09/2020
Contact persons: Dr. Steffen Hirth and Prof. Dr. Anke Strüver

Description: The aim of the research project is to deal with the constitution of responsible nutrition in terms of spatial theory and therefore asks about the (implicit) social and ecological values and norms of sustainability policy in discourses of companies in the food and agricultural sector. At the same time, it deals with the self-care practices of eating by consumers. An analysis of spatial and social localizations of responsibility for "good" or "sustainable" nutrition is intended to reveal the reciprocal relationships between discursively constituted norms and individualized everyday practices and to expose the underlying (dis)connectivities. With a "reading for difference rather than dominance" (Gibson-Graham 2006), both dominant attempts to close down ethical nutritional norms and marginalized/resistant discourses and practices are of interest, as the latter also represent approaches to resubjectivizing and reshaping nutritional identities and practices.

Funding: Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe
Amount of funding: € 1,387.042,-
Duration: 03/2016 - 03/2019
Lead partner: Maastricht University
Cooperation partners: City of Maastricht, Maastricht Bereikbaar, Antea Group; Vrije Universiteit Brussel - COSMOPOLIS, Brusselse Raad voor het Leefmilieu; University of Graz - RCE Graz-Styria, City of Graz; University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, City of Bellinzona, Pro Velo Ticino

Project management: Petra Wlasak,^MA MSc PhD

Description : The research focused on so-called "living labs", which are a promising tool for tackling current challenges and integrating the interests of citizens, politicians and administrators into urban development on an equal footing. Through participatory dialogue between as many stakeholders as possible, the intellectual, creative and social potential of the people of a city is to be bundled and exploited in joint learning processes. While there are numerous positive experiences with living labs, there are also weaknesses, such as the non-involvement of certain social groups in the planning phase or unsatisfactory implementation of the ideas developed on a larger scale. The aim of the SmarterLabs project was to analyze these potential problems on the basis of specific transport projects in the partner cities and to make the Living Lab concept "smarter" and refine it by developing guidelines. Experience was gained from Bellinzona, Brussels, Maastricht and Graz. Three test workshops in Santander, Istanbul and Helsinki also evaluated the applicability in different regional contexts. All project results are available on theSmarterLabs websiteor are available for download.

Funding: Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe
Amount of funding: € 1,367.066,-
Duration: 09/2014 - 08/2017
Lead partner: Maastricht University
Cooperation partners: City of Maastricht; University of Lund; University of Malmö; City of Malmö; University of Graz - RCE Graz-Styria; City of Graz; City of Leoben; City of Antwerp; Pantopicon Antwerp
Project management and contact person: Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann

Description : European cities are increasingly confronted with economic, social and environmental challenges of high complexity (demographic change, social conflicts, scarcity of resources, emissions, etc.). In order to meet these developments in the best possible way, cities are looking for new forms of governance. A modern approach to innovative governance methods is currently seen in so-called "urban labs", where a participatory dialog between citizens, politicians and administrators is initiated and promoted. By involving as many actors as possible, the intellectual, creative and social potential of the people of a city is to contribute to new developments in joint learning processes. Depending on the focus of the key players in an "urban lab", a distinction is made between "living labs" (focusing on cooperation between individual citizens) and "city labs" (focusing on cooperation between administrative institutions and interest groups). In order to provide decision-makers from politics and administration with the best possible support in initiating and implementing urban labs, it is important to gather practical experience from existing urban labs in the form of evidence-based guidelines. These should provide information on which topics urban labs are suitable for, how urban labs should be organized in terms of structure, processes and participation methods and how the approach can be most effectively integrated into local government and administrative structures. The EU project URB@Exp aimed to develop precisely such evidence-based guidelines in order to promote the dissemination of innovative forms of urban governance and initiate a trialogical process between citizens, administration and politics. During the 36 months of the project, this essentially took place in three steps: (1) analysis of existing urban labs, (2) implementation of new urban labs in five European partner cities and implementation of action-based research, and (3) exchange of knowledge and experience through a mobility program for decision-makers. The Urb@Exp project thus contributed to new forms of sustainable urban development through joint learning between citizens, politicians and administrative staff.

Funding: EU-Tempus IV-6th call for proposals: Joint Projects
Amount of funding: € 968.205.72
Duration: 12/2013 - 11/2016
Lead partner: RCE Graz-Styria/University of Graz
Cooperation partners: EU: BOKU Vienna (Austria), Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany), University of Limerick (Ireland); Albania: European University (Tirana), Polis University (Kashar), Aleksander Moisiu University (Durres), Agricultural University of Tirana, Center for Comparative and International Studies (Tirana); Kosovo: Universum College (Prishtina), University Haxhi Zeka (Peje), Riinvest College (Prishtina), Institute for Development Policy (Prishtina)
Project management and contact person: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann

Description: Addressing the Western Balkan regional priority 'knowledge-triangle education-research-innovation' this project aims to establish a regional science (involving higher education and research)-society (involving practice) network for sustainability innovations in Albania and Kosovo. The wider objectives are to strengthen the connection and collaboration of higher education institutions, research and practice as well as to promote mutual learning and innovative sustainability issues and methods through structured workshops to support capacity building as well as systemic and holistic thinking. Therefore the specific objectives are 1) to identify regional stakeholders in the field of higher education, research and practice for sustainable development; 2) to establish a science-society network for sustainability innovations; 3) to develop innovative teaching materials and methodologies for higher education institutions; 4) to develop and run structured workshops and trainings for science-society collaborations. To achieve these objectives, the consortium members were selected due to their methodological competencies, capacities and know-how. Furthermore, they provide a comprehensive representation of the project's stakeholders. Therefore, the consortium consists of 4 AL and 3 XK universities, and 4 EU universities. Furthermore, 2 civil society organizations, one of each partner country, and 2 Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on ESD are involved. The direct target groups will be higher education institutions (esp. lecturers, researchers and students), research institutions and regional stakeholders like enterprises, NGOs and regional development agencies. Furthermore policy makers will benefit indirectly.

Funding: EU ERASMUS Academic Networks
Funding amount: € 799,677 €, RCE Graz-Styria: € 12,679
Duration: 10/2013 - 10/2016
Lead partner: University of Gloucestershire
Project partners: 55 university partners from 33 European countries
All project partners, broken down by country:
Albania: University of Tirana; Belgium: Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven; Bosnia and Herzegovina: University of Bihác; Bulgaria: University of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Geodesy, University of Forestry; Denmark: Aalborg University; Germany: Leuphana University Lüneburg, University of Bremen; England: University of Gloucestershire, London South Bank University; Estonia: Instiute of Ecology Tallin University; France: École Nationale Supérieure EGID; Greece: Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and SD; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Ireland: ECO-UNESCO; Italy: Universidad de Bergamo, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Sustainability, Interuniversity Research Centre for Sustainable Development, Università Palermo, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata; Croatia: University of Rijeka; Latvia: Institute of Sustainable Education at Daugavpils University, Centre for Sustainable Business at SSE Riga; Lithuania: Vilnius University; Malta: University of Malta; Macedonia: Cyril and Methodius University; Netherlands: Open University of Netherlands; Norway: University of Oslo; Austria: University of Graz, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna; Poland: Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, University of Warsaw; Portugal: Portuguese Catholic University, Universdade de Aveiro, Universidade do Minho, Instituto Politecnico de Leiria; Romania: Foundation Center Education 2000+; Sweden: Malmö University, Uppsala University; Switzerland: Bern University; Serbia: University of Niš; Slovakia: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave; Slovenia: University of Maribor Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Ljubljana; Spain: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat de Girona, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de País Vasco; Czech Republic: Charles University Prague; Turkey: Bogaziçi University - Sustainable Development and Cleaner Production and Consumption; Hungary: Eotvos Loránd University; Cyprus: University of Cyprus, Frederick University

Staff: Project leader: Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann; Staff member and contact person: Marlene Mader

Description : The EU project "University Educators for Sustainable Development" aims to strengthen the sustainability skills of teachers at European universities through professional development. 55 partners from the higher education sector from 33 European countries have joined forces and over the next three years will identify existing training opportunities for university teachers in the respective countries, identify flagship initiatives, develop educational resources and set up an academy on education for sustainable development, which will enable scientists and teachers to acquire sustainability skills in order to be able to competently convey the topic to students and thus contribute to transformative university development. In addition to the university institutional level, awareness of the structural link between sustainability, continuing education and university quality assurance should also be created at a political level. The project is based on the work and activities of the COPERNICUS Alliance, the European university network for sustainable development, and the People's Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education, which was adopted in 2012 as part of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

UE4SD Newsletter
March 2015 Newsletter (pdf file)

Funding: FFG Innovationsscheck
Funding amount: € 5,000.00
Duration: 02/2015 - 09/2015
Cooperation partners: ChristineBärnthaler - Entwicklung für Menschen und Organisationen, Judenburg; RCE Graz-Styria, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Project management and contact person: Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann; Jonas Meyer, MSc(contact person); Finn Laurien, BSc

Description : 103,504 people live in the Upper Styria West region. At the same time, however, it is affected by the typical characteristics of a peripheral region. These include Remoteness from agglomerations, unemployment, out-migration and loss of attractiveness. The main problem for the resident companies is the out-migration of the younger generation. It is predicted that the working population will shrink by 17% by 2030 (Statistik Austria 2014) This means that companies will face a labor shortage in the future that they will not be able to solve without incurring additional costs. In order to counteract this shortage, companies need to take active measures. The research project "Brain Gain instead of Brain Drain in the Mur Valley" is dedicated to these problems. In summary, the aim is to analyze the extent to which companies from rural regions can act as shaping actors in strategic regional development. In particular, measures to make the Murtal region more attractive for highly qualified workers are to be analyzed.

Project objectives: 1) Analysis of the significance and effectiveness of company activities in the context of making the region more attractive to highly qualified professionals, 2) Raising awareness of the need for strategic cooperation between companies, public institutions and social actors to make the Upper Styria West region more attractive to future employees.

Funding: Federal Ministry of Science and Research
Funding amount: € 10,000
Duration: 02/2014 - 01/2015
Lead partner: RCE Graz-Styria
Project management: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann
Description: We live in a communication and media society in which an enormous amount of information on every conceivable topic is disseminated via a wide variety of communication channels. This overabundance makes it increasingly difficult for senders of a message to disseminate messages effectively and presents potential recipients with the increased challenge of perceiving, selecting and processing these messages. In particular, the communication and communication of complex, more difficult to grasp topics such as "sustainability" face the challenge of being communicated in a particularly targeted and receptive manner. The aim of the project is to compare the strengths and weaknesses of sustainability communication by means of a static website using the example of "OpenScience4Sustainability" and by means of a social network using the example of "Facebook". The following results will be achieved: 1.) Suggestions for improvements to internet communications, specifically for "OpenScience4Sustainability", 2.) Monitoring of Facebook experiences and establishment of a permanent sustainability blog on Facebook by the RCE Graz-Styria, 3.) Optimization of the networking of homepages and social networks.

Commissioned by: Federal Ministry of Science and Research
Funding amount: € 17,000
Duration: 10/2013 - 04/2014
Lead partner: RCE Graz-Styria
Project partners: -
Employees: Project management: Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann; employee and contact person: Mag. Marlene Mader

Description : The research project "Scaling Sustainability" aims to identify the needs, challenges and potentials of scaling sustainability initiatives and expertise at the interface between science and society. To this end, a research workshop will be held during the Global RCE Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, at the end of November 2013, which will address the questions of how RCEs in particular can share their expertise and experience more efficiently and thus learn from each other in a more structured way. One focus will be on the role of higher education institutions. Expert interviews will also be conducted. The insights gained from this will form the basis for further research projects on framework conditions that can promote the scaling of sustainability initiatives between science and society.

Funding: Lifelong Learning Program - Leonardo Da Vinci (No.: 2011-1-PL1-LEO05-19884)
Funding amount: € 356,580.00, University of Graz: € 94.952.00
Duration: 01/2012 - 01/2014
Lead partner: Poznań University of Economics
Project partner: ISM University of Management and Economics, Wielkopolska Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Staff: Project management: Dr. Filippina Risopoulos-Pichler; Staff: Mario Diethart, Sonja Bloder BSc.

Description : A virtual strategic management game is being developed as part of the project. A virtual strategic management game is a structured and simplified representation of real business conditions. Several virtual companies compete in a specific virtual market. The participants learn to recognize complex economic relationships through the simulation and can play through possible real scenarios in the "safe virtual world". This teaches entrepreneurial action and thinking, teamwork and leadership skills. In the course of this project, an accompanying study is also carried out using an online questionnaire. The results of the study will support the programmers of the online game. Business teachers and trainers from Austria, Poland and Lithuania will be surveyed

Funding: EAFRD rural development program - LEADER priority 2007-2013
Funding amount: € 34,400, RCE Graz-Styria € 2,000
Duration: 01/2013 - 12/2013
Lead partner: Bio Ernte Steiermark
Project partners: Naturpark Südsteiermark, 10 wineries (8 from the nature park, 2 interested outside the area)
Employees: Project management: Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann; staff and contact person Thomas Drage

Description : Organic viticulture is practiced in the Südsteiermark Nature Park according to various criteria (Bio Ernte Steiermark, Demeter, conversion farms, etc.). In contrast to conventional agriculture, organic viticulture has so far increasingly required the commitment and traditional knowledge of individual "pioneers". The project aimed to network organic farms, exchange existing knowledge about cultivation and processing, learn from and with each other, find synergies and raise awareness of the issues of organic viticulture and sustainable development and their visibility through a joint approach. As part of the project, numerous working group meetings were held in 2013 between the partners in the region on the topics of sustainability, production techniques, product quality and brand development. At the same time, biodiversity surveys were carried out in the vineyards of the participating wineries in order to draw attention to the positive effects of organic viticulture on flora and fauna. The results form the basis for the creation of a joint organic wine umbrella brand that emphasizes the individual characteristics of the individual wineries while still pointing out the commonalities of organic viticulture in the nature park. This newly created brand called Südherz, under which organic wine will be jointly marketed from 2014, was presented to the public in December 2013. After the end of the project, follow-up projects in other regions should benefit from recommendations for action from the collected results. Organic viticulture and the project "Naturpark-Biowein-Qualität-Südsteiermark - Eine Marke in der Region gestalten" contribute to the preservation of valuable cultural landscapes.

Funding: EU Tempus
Funding amount: € 1,258,556.47, RCE Graz-Styria: € 73.808.77
Duration: 3 years, 10/2010 - 10/2013
Lead partner: RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Project partners: 4 European partners: RWTH Aachen University, UNESCO International Hydrological Program (Germany); University of Graz (Austria); CEIFA (Portugal); University of Limerick (Ireland); and 14 Egyptian partners: Alexandria University, American University in Cairo, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Cairo University, Fayoum Governorate - Ministry of Education, Fayoum University, Heliopolis University, Ministry of Higher Education, SEKEM Development Foundation, Suez Canal University, The American-Mideast Education and Training Service, Wadi Environmental Science Centre, Zagazig University
Staff: Project management: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann, (until 30.04.2012: Prof. Dr. Clemens Mader); Staff member and contact person: Mag. Marlene Mader

Description : The aim of EduCamp is to bring education for sustainable development to Egyptian society. This is done by setting up educational centers at seven Egyptian universities, developing innovative teaching materials on ESD and implementing a further education program where professors are taught ESD, who in turn train teachers in Egypt. The specific project goals of EduCamp are: 1.) the establishment of seven "Centers of Excellence" within Egyptian universities to offer and train activities on Education for Sustainable Development, 2.) the development of "EduCamp ESD Teaching and Learning Kits" for students aged 10 to 14 with over 200 activities on the topics of sustainability, biodiversity, energy, agriculture and water that are aligned with the Egyptian curriculum, 3.) the development of innovative teaching methods for school children, 4.) the development and implementation of a "Training of Trainers" program, in which professors are trained on ESD topics and methods, who in turn train Egyptian teachers, 5.) the creation of a virtual platform for networking and the exchange of knowledge and experience on sustainable development. EduCamp is the first initiative in Egypt that structurally connects universities and schools. The RCE Graz-Styria is responsible for the Training of Trainers modules.

Publications: Mader, M., Sewilam, H., Mader, C. (2013) EduCamp - Education for Sustainable Development in Egypt, pp. 139-145, in: Umweltdachverband (ed.) (2013) Education for Sustainable Development - Yearbook 2013, Forum Umweltbildung, Vienna

Funding: Federal Ministry of Science and Research as part of the "Project MINT-Massenfächer" tender
Funding amount: € 1,076,000.00
Duration: 01/2012 - 06/2013
Project partners: Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Graz University of Technology
Staff: Project management: Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann for KFU; staff members: Ricarda Rindlisbacher MSc BSc, Sonja Bloder BSc, Mag. Mario Diethart, Mag. Thomas Drage, DI (FH) Stefanie Egger, Magdalena Gschaider BSc, Mag. Thomas Höflehner, Mag. Irene Jammernegg, Martin Kubanek MSc BSc, Mag. Marlene Mader, Jonas Meyer MSc BSc, Mag. Dr. Filippina Risopoulos-Pichler

Description : SUSTAINICUM is a cooperation project between the Karl-Franzens-University Graz, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna and the Graz University of Technology. The project aims to introduce sustainability-related topics into university teaching from the perspective of different subject areas. To this end, a platform has been set up on which resources of various types are collected and offered. These resources (building blocks, teaching methods, scripts and teaching modules) are intended to support teachers in terms of content and the use of innovative forms of teaching and to promote systemic and holistic thinking. Teachers can submit their own resources on the topic of sustainability on an ongoing basis to make them available to other colleagues. A focus on ecological and scientific aspects is intended to arouse interest in the STEM subjects of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology, especially among female students.

Funding: EU ERASMUS - Lifelong Learning Programs
Funding amount: € 388,020.00, RCE Graz-Styria: € 54.612.00
Duration: 10/2010 - 10/2012
Lead partner: University of Crete
Project partners: University of Crete, Open University of Cyprus, Daugavpils University, Dublin City University, Frederick University, Uppsala University
Staff: Project leader: Prof. Dr. Clemens Mader and at the end of the project Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich Zimmermann; Collaborators: Mario Diethart

Description : As part of ICTeESD, seven universities from Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, Cyprus and Austria are developing a Joint Master's Degree that combines education for sustainable development with modern information and communication technologies: On the one hand, the content of the course is taught via the Internet; on the other hand, students learn how to use modern media for education for sustainable development. Courses in the curriculum deal with holistic approaches to sustainability, the management of sustainability projects, European and international education policy and the potential of modern communication technologies (Web 2.0) in knowledge and sustainability communication.In addition to the 120 ECTS Joint Master's degree, the ICTeESD project includes the creation of the virtual platform itself and the training of e-tutors who can supervise the students. In the long term, the ICTeESD Joint Master's program should help to promote education for sustainable development in Europe and worldwide and meet the demand for more accessible and flexible higher education. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development will be communicated more widely and Education for Sustainable Development will be placed on a broader footing by involving students and university staff from different disciplines.

Funding: Energie Steiermark GmbH
Funding amount: € 23,200, RCE Graz-Styria: € 18,800
Duration: 01/2011 - 09/2011
Project partner: Energie Steiermark GmbH
Employees: Project manager: Prof. Dr. Clemens Mader; employee: Mag. Marlene Mader
Description: With the study "Electromobility in Styria", RCE Graz-Styria presents the results of a comprehensive online survey on the topic of electromobility in Styria with a focus on e-bikes, which was carried out in 2011 in cooperation with Energie Steiermark. The aim was to determine the potential and views on e-bikes, particularly in rural areas, and to create user profiles of e-bikers. Three different target groups were surveyed: Styrian municipalities, already active e-bikers and people who could imagine using an e-bike. From the end of February to mid-April 2011, a total of 381 people took part in the survey online. At the end of May 2011, a workshop was held with participants in this study and other interested parties, where the initial results of the study were presented, reflected upon and discussed: 1) E-bikes are replacing cars, particularly for distances of up to 10 km, 2) The batteries are almost exclusively charged at home, 3) Around two-thirds of the people surveyed use an e-bike.) Around two thirds of those surveyed would like to see an improvement in cycle paths as the most important infrastructure measure, 4) Secure parking spaces are also a concern, especially for e-bikers who live in cities or outlying urban areas, 5) Almost 90% of municipalities support the private purchase of an e-bike

> to the study

Funding: EU-Lifelong Learning Program
Funding amount: € 529,701 €, University of Graz: € 92.157
Duration: 2 years, 01/2009 - 12/2010
Lead partner: Charles University Prague, Czech Republic
Project partners: Open University of the Netherlands, Netherlands; Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany; University of Macedonia, Greece
Staff: Project leader: Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann; staff members: Marlene Mader, Prof. Dr. Clemens Mader, Elisabeth Görsdorf-Lechevin

Description : The 3-LENSUS project is funded as part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Program. The focus of 3-LENSUS is on the so-called knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation. Accordingly, the educational and research activities of universities are to be linked with society in order to create innovations for sustainable development. The project objectives can be divided into the following two areas: 1) Networking universities with regional players to create multi-stakeholder learning networks. This will be achieved through the re-launch of the COPERNICUS Alliance, the European university network for sustainable development, and through the development of a "Database on Learning for Sustainable Development", which promotes networking and the exchange of knowledge and experience between academic, non-university and regional stakeholders. 2) Capacity building to support existing and future multi-stakeholder learning networks. A series of seminars and the development of a best practice handbook on "Multi-Actor Learning for Regional Sustainable Development" will be used to collect and process knowledge and experience.

Publications: The project results were also published as part of a special issue on "Learning for sustainable development in regional networks" in the Journal of Cleaner Production (Volume 49, 2013). Trummler M., Mader C., (2011) Database on Learning for Sustainable Development - analysis of projects, In: Barton A., Dlouha J., Multi-Actor Learning for Sustainable Regional Development in Europe: A Handbook of Best Practice, Grosvenor Publishing, Surrey, 343p

Funding: EU eLearning Programme
Funding amount: € 915,000
Duration: 2 years, 2007-2009
Lead partner: University of Macedonia
Project partners: University of Graz, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Open University of the Netherlands, Charles University Prague
Staff: Project management: Univ.Prof. Dr. Friedrich M. Zimmermann, staff members: MMag. Dr. Judith Pizzera, Mag. Elisabeth Görsdorf-Lechevin

Description : The virtual campus project VCSE - Virtual Campus for a Sustainable Europe - is an international, virtual education platform that was initiated by five European partner universities as part of the eLearning 2006 program. The VCSE network has now grown to 15 partner universities and enables students at each university to take part in virtual courses on the subject of sustainable development. Five courses are offered each year, which are dedicated to a sustainable development topic from different perspectives, depending on the focus of the university offering the course. This results in a very broad range of courses, ranging from economic topics to globalization and ecological issues. The University of Graz is represented here by the Institute of Geography and Spatial Research with a focus on "Sustainable Urban and Regional Development".

Funding: Province of Styria
Funding amount: € 14,000
Duration: 09/2007 - 04/2008
Lead partner: RCE Graz-Styria
Project partners: Fun House - Youth Center Trofaiach, Municipality of Trofaiach, FA 6A Landesjugendreferat Steiermark
Project manager: Prof. Dr. Clemens Mader

Description : In 2008, young people from the "Fun House" youth center in Trofaiach and students of environmental systems science at the University of Graz worked together under the direction of RCE Graz-Styria to develop an educational trail on the topic of sustainable development. As part of four workshops, the young people were given the opportunity to discuss topics such as climate change, combating poverty, energy consumption and water resources in relation to sustainable development with students and to develop educational boards. These workshops also highlighted opportunities to incorporate sustainability into their own daily routines, for example by saving energy or consuming regional products. The students were challenged to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, resulting in an exchange of knowledge between young people and students, who worked together on the content and design of the educational panels. Anyone interested can visit the educational trail at any time and free of charge on the panorama trail in the west of Trofaiach! The educational trail was awarded the title of official project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005 - 2014 by the Austrian UNESCO Commission: certificate and report in the Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

Educational trail boards (for download):

1. start board
2. climate change
3. food consumption
4. energy consumption
5. water resources
6. poverty reduction
7. education
8. millennium goals

The educational boards can be purchased for 40 euros and hung up in schools, for example. If you are interested, please contact us!