Just to the south-east of Berlin, at the end of S-Bahn line 3 is Erkner, a 12.000 soul town in the state of Brandenburg known for its industrial heritage, its beautiful lakes – and an internationally renowned social science research institution it houses: The Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS). Formerly dedicated to spatial planning and reginal development, IRS now researches dynamics of social change past and present, from climate and energy policies to innovation and digitalization, from migration and urban regeneration to the history of planning. In our podcast Society@Space, both IRS researchers and guests of IRS talk about their passion for questions that matter, their inspirations and experiences, their engagement with practical societal problems and their thoughts on what it means to be a social scientist today. Everyone who is curious about the avenues modern societies are taking and how researchers grapple with the changes and challenges we face – intellectually, emotionally, personally – will find this fascinating to listen to. Episode languages shift between German and English.
https://leibniz-irs.de/
Publisher
Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS)
Wandel gestalten – durch Innovation?
Innovation soll dabei helfen, den Transformationsdruck ländlicher und strukturschwacher Räume zu bewältigen – wirtschaftlich, demographisch, infrastrukturell und ökologisch. In der Forschung und zum Teil auch in der Innovationsförderung hat sich dabei ein weiter Innovationsbegriff etabliert, der neben Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen auch zivilgesellschaftliche Akteure und Kommunen als Innovatoren mit einbezieht. Doch taugt der Begriff der Innovation überhaupt für diese Aufgabe? Was kann dafür getan werden, dass Innovationen tatsächlich den Menschen in den Regionen helfen, wo sie realisiert werden? Und wie können die bedarfsgerecht gefördert werden? Darüber sprechen Jonathan Hussels vom Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung, Daniel Schiller von der Universität Greifswald und Simon Senft vom Thünen Institut für Regionalentwicklung.
Timestamps
00:01:18 Vorstellung der Gesprächspartner
00:02:17 Was ist Innovation? Probleme, Lösungen und mehr als Technologie
00:13:06 Projekt „GITpRO“: Gesellschaftliche Innovationsfähigkeit in peripheren Regionen Ostdeutschlands
00:15:30 Bündnis „Landvorteil“: Regionaler Wandel durch (soziale) Innovation
00:18:12 Projekt „Stark durch Offene Innovationsregionen“
00:20:03 Forschungsmethoden: „Herumlaufen und an Türen klopfen?“
00:26:01 Beispiele für Innovationen: Sportgeräte und Rechenzentren
00:30:43 Ist Innovation der richtige Begriff?
00:43:01 Ist Innovation immer gut?
00:47:55 Die Besonderheiten strukturschwacher und ländlicher Innovationsregionen
00:59:56 Wie man Gelingensbedingungen für Innovation schaffen kann
01:05:37 Zum Abschluss: Botschaften an die Innovationsförderung
Links
Jonathan Hussels, Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung: https://leibniz-irs.de/institut/mitarbeiterinnen/person/jonathan-hussels-0502
Prof. Dr. Daniel Schiller, Universität Greifswald: https://geo.uni-greifswald.de/lehrstuehle/geographie/wirtschafts-und-sozialgeographie/mitarbeiter-des-lehrstuhls/prof-dr-daniel-schiller/
Simon Senft, Thünen Institut für Regionalentwicklung: https://thuenen-institut.de/team/
Projekt „Stark durch Offene Innovationsregionen“ – Projektskizze des IRS: https://leibniz-irs.de/forschung/forschen-am-irs/forschungsprojekte/projekt/stark-durch-offene-innovationsregionen-innovationspotenziale-identifizieren-lockins-vermeiden-gesell
Projekt „GITpRO – Gesellschaftliche Innovationsfähigkeit und Transformationsprozesse in peripheren Regionen Ostdeutschlands - Engagement, Diskurse und Netzwerke“: https://geo.uni-greifswald.de/lehrstuehle/geographie/wirtschafts-und-sozialgeographie/die-bedeutung-von-change-agency-fuer-innovation-und-transformation-in-relational-peripheren-regionen-1-1-1/
Projekt „Landvorteil – InnoAtlas“: https://thuenen-institut.de/landvorteil-innoatlas/
14 Jan 2025
Engagement verstehen, Engagierte unterstützen
Hanna Kribbel, Dr. Julia Schlicht, and Dr. Ralph Richter examine Germany's evolving engagement strategy, including the role of digital media and the support needed for volunteers in various sectors; this is an interview.
6 Jan 2023
Großwohnsiedlungen im Wandel: Eine Langzeit-Perspektive auf Leipzig Grünau
Sociologist Sigrun Kabisch and political scientist Matthias Bernt discuss the evolution of Leipzig Grünau and other East German large housing estates, examining resident structure, building fabric, image, challenges, needs, and opportunities in this interview.
3 Aug 2021
Städte im Klimawandel: Resilienz oder Anpassung?
Stadtforscher Wolfgang Haupt and Elisa Kochskämper discuss how cities are preparing for extreme weather events, exploring climate adaptation versus the broader concept of resilience in this interview episode.
6 Apr 2021
Sozialunternehmen – was sie können, was sie brauchen
Dr. Ralph Richter, Sunna Kovanen, and Florian Birk discuss how social enterprises function, what they contribute to rural areas, and how they can be supported in this interview episode.
14 Jul 2020
Was heißt hier Ankunftsquartiere?
René Wilke, Stefanie Kaygusuz-Schurmann, and Madlen Pilz examine whether the concept of self-organizing arrival cities applies to East Germany, specifically large housing estates becoming hubs for international migration, in this interview episode.
3 Jul 2020
Living Border
Researchers Vivien Sommer and Łukasz Rogowski discuss their joint research project exploring the changes in everyday life along the Polish-German border since 2007, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in this interview episode.
4 May 2020
Aus Krisen lernen?
Oliver Ibert and Verena Brinks discuss the Corona crisis, examining if political responsibility shifts to experts and exploring future perspectives for societal learning in this interview with Tjorven Hamsen.
20 Mar 2020
Of forests and guitars.
Professor Chris Gibson discusses his book, "Following Guitars from Factory to Forest," exploring how guitar makers address deforestation to secure timber supplies, suggesting small-scale resource management innovations offer solutions for climate change in this interview.
22 Oct 2019
Müssen wir das Wachstum überwinden?
Researcher Timmo Krüger discusses post-growth society as a solution to social and environmental crises, examining how communities envision a future beyond continuous economic expansion in this interview.
11 May 2019
Welcome to Nottingham, Malaysia
Geographers Sarah Hall, Francis Collins, and Kris Olds discuss the globalization of higher education, revealing diverse motivations and strategies while emphasizing the importance of examining peripheries and internationalization at home in this interview episode.
Who has been a guest on Society@Space
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Hanna Kribbel
Dr Julia Schlicht
Dr Ralph Richter
Sigrun Kabisch
Matthias Bernt
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
24,974
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
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Quality
56
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
0
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