Mission: Integrating knowledge for systemic innovations

The Leibniz Lab ‘Systemic Sustainability’ tackles ‘biodiversity, climate, agriculture and food’ as a common area of action and conflict together with societal actors through

  • Integration of knowledge from scientific communities and societal groups
  • Assessment of systemic sustainability and exploration of systemic innovations
  • Advancement of science communication and creation of transfer products tailored to target groups

It includes interdependencies from the local-regional level in the Global North and South to the international level.

Monad

Challenges

The current socio-ecological crisis manifests itself in a serious way in the tension between biodiversity and climate on the one hand, and agriculture and food on the other. While global food demand is rising and the intensity of agriculture is increasing, biodiversity loss and climate change are accelerating rapidly.

As a result, the risks to regional and global food security are increasing, as is the need to make agriculture more resilient. This calls into question our ability to achieve a number of sustainable development goals. Already, several planetary boundaries have been transgressed.

While scientists are studying many facets of this challenge, the enormous demand for societal decision-making and action underlines the fact that there is a need for more comprehensive and action-oriented findings.

Particular attention must be paid to the complex interrelationships between societal dynamics and biophysical processes, conflicting goals and implementation problems, and coordinated solutions for sustainability transformations.

To advance the usability and relevance of such findings, the importance of exchange between science and society is also growing. This requires rethinking specific dialogue forums and formats as well as the type and preparation of contents.

Steering group

  • Prof. Dr. Jochen Schanze

    Prof. Dr. Jochen Schanze

    Spokesperson

  • Prof. Dr. Katharina Helming

    Prof. Dr. Katharina Helming

    RIA 1 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    Prof. Dr. Miriam Prys-Hansen

    RIA 1 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Tilman Brück

    Prof. Dr. Tilman Brück

    RIA 2 co-lead

  • Dr. Markus Stocker

    Dr. Markus Stocker

    RIA 2 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Dieter Gerten

    Prof. Dr. Dieter Gerten

    RIA 3 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Susanne Fritz

    Prof. Dr. Susanne Fritz

    RIA 3 co-lead

  • Dr. Amit Kumar Srivastava

    Dr. Amit Kumar Srivastava

    RIA 3 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz

    Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz

    RIA 4 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Barbara Sturm

    Prof. Dr. Barbara Sturm

    RIA 4 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Markus Huff

    Prof. Dr. Markus Huff

    RIA 5 co-lead

  • Prof. Dr. Martin Behnisch

    Prof. Dr. Martin Behnisch

    RIA 5 co-lead

Coordination team

  • Lasare Samartzidis

    Lasare Samartzidis

    Scientific coordinator

  • Sundus Saleemi

    Sundus Saleemi

    RIA 1

  • Anette Ruml

    Anette Ruml

    RIA 1

  • Mahlet Degefu Awoke

    Mahlet Degefu Awoke

    RIA 2

  • Hadi Ghaemi

    Hadi Ghaemi

    RIA 2

  • Lauren Snyder


    Lauren Snyder


    RIA 2

  • Bruna Almeida

    Bruna Almeida

    RIA 3

  • Krishnagopal Halder

    Krishnagopal Halder

    RIA 3

  • Sophia Lüttringhaus

    Sophia Lüttringhaus

    RIA 4

  • Sarah Zwicker

    Sarah Zwicker

    RIA 4

  • Angelina Böhnisch

    Angelina Böhnisch

    RIA 5

  • Sergey Chuykov

    Sergey Chuykov

    RIA 5

  • Raghid Shehayeb

    Raghid Shehayeb

    RIA 6

Project board

  • Prof. Dr. Jörg Overmann (DSMZ), spokesperson of Leibniz project Establishment of a Leibniz Biodiversity Hub, chair of the Project Board
  • Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff (PRIF), spokesperson of LRN Environmental Crisis – Crisis Environments
  • Prof. Dr. Frank Ewert (ZALF), spokesperson of LSF on Sustainable Agri-Food Systems
  • Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Grossart (IGB), representative of LRN Earth & Societies
  • Prof. Dr. Tilman Grune (Dife), spokesperson of LRN Green Nutrition - Healthy Society
  • Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schaible (FZB), spokesperson of LRA INFFECTIONS
  • PD Dr. Kirsten Thonicke (PIK), spokesperson of LRN Biodiversity
  • Prof. Dr. Klaus Tochtermann (ZBW), spokesperson of LRN LeibnizData
  • Prof. Dr. Ludger Wessjohann (IPB), spokesperson of LRN Bioactive Compounds
  • Prof. Dr. Marc Wolfram (IOER), (Co-)spokesperson of LRN Knowledge for Sustainable Development + LRN Spatial Knowledge for Society and Environment

Contact persons

Contact person "Equity, Diversity and Inclusion"

  • Carolin Grumbach (PIK)

Contact person "Research Ethics"

  • Dr. Heiko Stuckas (SGN)

MembersLeibniz institutions involved in the Leibniz Lab 'Systemic Sustainability'

ARLARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association, Hannover
ATBLeibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam
DIfEGerman Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke
DIEGerman Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz-Centre for Lifelong Learning, Bonn
DIWGerman Institute for Economic Research Berlin
DSMDeutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum – Leibniz-Institut für Maritime Geschichte, Bremerhaven
DSMZLeibniz-Institute DSMZ–German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig
FZBResearch Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center
GESISGESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim and Köln
GIGAGerman Institute for Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien, Hamburg
IAMOLeibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies, Halle
IAPLeibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock, Kühlungsborn
IGBLeibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin
IGZLeibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Großbeeren
ifoifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung an der Universität München
IfWKiel Institute for the World Economy
INPLeibniz-Institut für Plasmaforschung und Technologie, Greifswald
IOERLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Dresden
IOWLeibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Warnemünde
IPBLeibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle
IPKLeibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben
IPHTLeibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena
ISASLeibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS, Dortmund and Berlin
IUFIUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf
IWHHalle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association, Halle
IWMLeibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen
LEIZALeibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie, Mainz
LIBLeibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Alexander Koenig Bonn and Museum of Nature Hamburg
LSBLeibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich, Freising
MfNMuseum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin
PIKPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
PRIFPeace Research Institute Frankfurt, Frankfurt on the Main
TROPOSLeibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig
SAFELeibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, Frankfurt on the Main
SGNSenckenberg Society for Nature Research, Frankfurt on the Main
TIBTIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library, Hanover
ZALFLeibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg
ZASLeibniz-Centre General Linguistics, Berlin
ZBWZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, Kiel and Hamburg
ZEWZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, Mannheim
ZMTLeibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen

Section A – Humanities and Educational Research
Section B – Economics, Social Sciences, Spatial Research
Section C – Life Sciences
Section D – Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Engineering
Section E – Environmental Sciences

Leibniz Association

The Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance.

They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public.

https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/about-us/about-the-leibniz-association

Leibniz Labs:

In three Leibniz Labs, a wide range of Leibniz Institutes collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis and with stakeholders from society, politics and business to develop practical solutions for major societal challenges.

The focus is on the big questions of our time: How can we better prepare for future pandemics? How can we effectively protect biodiversity and the climate while achieving resilient agriculture for food security? And how can historical experiences from fundamental disruptions and crises help to make our societies more resilient?

To address these complex issues, the Leibniz Labs systematically bring together the Leibniz Association's extensive knowledge and make it usable for societal practice. To this end, the Labs involve stakeholders from society, politics and business. By tapping into the strong innovation and transfer potential of the Association, they can act as catalysts and pioneers for societal transformation processes.

With the new "Leibniz Labs" format, the Leibniz Association is strengthening its interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary excellence. A distinct project will support the three funded Leibniz Labs through comprehensive networking and reflection, thereby enabling the Association to capitalise on the insights gained for future initiatives.

https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/research/leibniz-labs