Social impact

Practical research that makes a difference, with ROSI!

As the central institution for research-based knowledge transfer activities at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, we support the integration of issues taken from politics, administration, civil society, and the economy into research and teaching. By supporting collaboration projects involving researchers and students addressing issues from external actors, we act as an interface between academia and society.

Addressing societal needs and analyzing challenges faced by partner organizations through relevant, practical research are important to us. Thus, the Research Office, known as ROSI, encourages social innovation through knowledge-exchange-based research and teaching. It facilitates co-creative research projects and related teaching formats that contribute to addressing (civil) societal challenges.

ROSI makes it possible to conduct knowledge-exchange-based formats and processes that guarantee all project participants can collaborate as equals. That means we work together with our external project partners to develop research formats that allow for a collaborative research process on a range of project levels. Issues are worked on collaboratively in individually created project teams made up of researchers and students. ROSI will be at the project team’s side throughout the whole research project to provide technical and administrative support.  

ROSI has created a lively exchange between social actors and University research, which allows for engaged students and practice-oriented researchers to work on significant questions facing the metropolitan region. Whether an association, government department, party, or company, in practice, many areas can benefit from the collection, analysis, or evaluation of information— for example, when considering target groups, analyzing needs, or evaluating processes and structures.  

This process of knowledge exchange benefits everyone involved: students test and expand their knowledge of the subject and its methods, researchers obtain access to socially relevant fields of research, and our partners gain valuable, research-based knowledge. This dynamic enhances the quality of teaching, equips society with knowledgeable and engaged experts to address its needs, and creates exciting synergies.