The Innova.GEIST research and transfer project examines social innovations as an essential component of sustainable regional development in Lusatia in close connection with technical innovations. Our aim is to contribute to a better understanding of innovation corridors in industrial regions and to explore their significance for the structural change region of Lusatia. Through cooperative research methods, we test inclusive innovation strategies with practice partners from the technology sector and explore ways of connecting social and technological innovation practice.

We are particularly interested in the barriers and (unseen) opportunities to address social innovations and identify them in technical innovation processes. The starting point is specific regional needs (such as skilled workers, corporate culture, education and sustainable development) of technical-economic and social innovation processes.

The position includes the development and application of transdisciplinary research on social and technological innovation processes, in particular the following tasks:

• Literature research on innovation in rural structural change regions,
• Development and implementation of explorative, qualitative field research in Upper Lusatia to link social and technological innovation cases with existing practice partners,
• Preparation of social science research for practice partners,
• Preparation and support of the transfer phase,
• Participation in science communication (transfer workshops, podcast),
• Scientific publication.