Between elites and innovative regional development

Prof. Raj Kollmorgen(Faculty of SocialSciences/TRAWOSInstitute) and currently Vice-Rector Research at our university has acquired two third-party funded projects with federal funding, which are now starting.

Over the next three years (2022-2025), the Federal Government (Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany) is funding a joint project with over 1 million euros entitled "Elitenmonitor - Personelle Unterrepräsentation der Ostdeutschen in zentralen Führungspositionen: Development over time, mechanisms, options for action". As part of the planned establishment of an "elite monitor" for the Federal Republic of Germany, the sub-project at the TRAWOS Institute at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, which is funded with a total of 200,000 euros, has two objectives: to explore the factors and mechanisms that lead to underrepresentation and to develop evidence-based recommendations for action. In addition to East Germans, the project includes other underrepresented groups in the analysis. This makes it possible to examine group-specific and general mechanisms of exclusion and marginalization in the course of elite recruitment. The project is being carried out jointly with the universities of Leipzig (Prof. A. Lorenz/Dr. L. Vogel, head of the network) and Jena (Prof. M. Reiser).

On 01.09. begins in the context of the WIR alliance "Lusatia - Life & Technology" a new strategy project begins at the HSZG (ZIT), which follows on from the previous funding, but also sets new priorities under the title: "L&TStrategy, Sustainability and Transfer Analysis". The project is being funded by the BMBF with a total of 400,000 euros until 2025. Leonie Liemich is coordinating the project and, in collaboration with Bert Salomo and Sven Müller, is working on both the practical management of the joint project and alliance, as well as the scientific analysis of regional innovation and transfer processes in the F&E innovation fields (I. Additive manufacturing, II. Networked energy systems and storage technologies and III. Attractive educational, working and living environments) of the alliance. In the second phase of the alliance's work, the plan is to intensify cluster formation and value creation activities in the (Upper) Lusatia region and create the conditions for the continuation of innovation and diffusion processes beyond 2025.