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Shaping the future: Scientists demand more stakeholder engagement!
Learn how the University of Cologne is implementing its vision of becoming a leading academic institution in Europe while engaging stakeholders.
Shaping the future: Scientists demand more stakeholder engagement!
On March 9, 2025, the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo) at the University of Cologne will present itself as a leading institution in the field of management, economics and social sciences in Europe. The faculty aims to develop knowledge and people to create a better world. A key concern is conducting relevant academic research that benefits both students and external stakeholders. Since its founding in 1901 as a business school, the WiSo Faculty has continuously expanded its programs and today offers a multidisciplinary platform for research and teaching.
WiSo's vision includes the education of open and future-oriented students as well as a measurable impact of their activities on people, organizations and society. In addition to excellent teaching, the integration of external stakeholders in research projects is a professional focus. This results from the tradition of maintaining dialogue with various social actors and including their perspectives in order to increase the relevance of research. The WiSo Faculty therefore acts as an important player in the academic landscape and actively promotes collaboration between research and practice.
Stakeholder engagement in research
A notable aspect of the WiSo Faculty is the discussion of the concept of stakeholder engagement, which is becoming increasingly important not only in teaching but also in research. One proposal for classifying this engagement, as outlined in a study by the National Institutes of Health, distinguishes between non-participation, symbolic participation and committed participation, among others. This categorization is important for determining the location of projects on the stakeholder engagement continuum and measuring impact on research outcomes.
Within the framework of research projects supported by external partners such as the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, the need to involve all stakeholders in all phases of the research process is emphasized. The stakeholder process includes the co-design, co-production and co-evaluation phases, which together ensure effective management of the interests and values of social groups. Furthermore, reference is made to the challenges that arise from insufficient empirical evidence when evaluating stakeholder engagement.
Practical application and future perspectives
When carrying out a stakeholder process that included over 100 stakeholders, practical knowledge was effectively captured. This is reflected in reports that contribute to the transformation towards climate-friendly structures and stimulate climate policy debates. In November 2022, the Austrian Panel on Climate Change (APCC) presented a special report that summarizes key findings on climate research in Austria. The publication is planned as an open access book for autumn 2023.
In summary, it can be seen that stakeholder engagement in research is not only essential for the WiSo Faculty's own scientific work, but can also make a significant contribution to improving existing research approaches. This lays the foundation for a sustainable integration of science and society, which is particularly important at the present time.