Real-world lab symposium in Karlsruhe

Politics, science, and civil society summed up three years of real-world laboratory research in Baden-Württemberg and discussed the future of the transdisciplinary approach. Significantly involved: the Karlsruhe District Future and Urban Transition Lab.

Reallabor Symposium in Karlsruhe — Real-world lab symposium (photo: MWK)

Wissenschaftsministerin Theresia Bauer mit Oliver Parodi und Astrid Ley — Minister for Science Theresia Bauer (center) receives the position paper of the real-world lab teams from ITAS project leader Oliver Parodi and Astrid Ley from the University of Stuttgart (photo: MWK)

BaWü-Lab Messe — BaWü labs exhibition (photo: MWK)

Scientific Theater Freiburg — Freiburg Scientific Theatre (photo: MWK)

Since 2015, the Baden Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) has supported a large number of real-world laboratories in Baden-Württemberg. Representatives of all 14 of these BaWü labs presented the results of their research on 27 April 2018 at Südwerk Karlsruhe. Among them was the Karlsruhe real-world lab, consisting of the two projects “District Future – Urban Lab” and “Urban Transition Lab 131”, which co-organized the event of the MWK.

The day started with a sustainability walk organized by the Karlsruhe School of Sustainability. Then, after a short welcome, the BaWü labs exhibition was opened. At the exhibition, those who were interested could visit the stands of the various real-world laboratories, exchange ideas with the scientists, examine exhibits, and thus get a whiff of the various real-world labs.

Insights into everyday life in the Karlsruhe real-world labs

Subsequently, Minister for Science Theresia Bauer, Karlsruhe Mayor Frank Mentrup, and KIT Vice President Thomas Hirth welcomed the guests. First research results were presented by the “ForReal” and “Basel” research teams, who had accompanied other project teams in their work. Oliver Parodi, heading Karlsruhe’s real-world laboratories, gave insights into everyday life in the real-world lab and presented the Minister for Science with a position paper prepared by all 14 BaWü labs, which includes recommendations for the future establishment and promotion of real-world labs.

Uwe Schneidewind, President and Scientific Director of the Wuppertal Institute, then called on the real-world labs and their funding bodies to remain critical and curious. The scientific part of the event closed with a fishbowl discussion on the topic “Real-world lab research, quo vadis?” with participants from politics, science, and civil society.

The evening concluded with a performance by the Scientific Theater Freiburg artistically interpreting the practice and everyday life of real-world laboratories and a fire show in front of Südwerk. (05.06.2018)

Further information:

ITAS real-world lab projects District Future – Urban Lab and Urban Transition Lab 131
Real-world lab research in Baden-Württemberg on the MWK website