On May 22 and 23, a conference on transformative science took place at the Görlitz University Campus. The event was organized by the TRAWOS Institute of the HSZG and the University of Siegen. The BMFTR-funded research projects BePart and ATRAKTIV organized a two-day program to discuss with a broader scientific audience the questions and consequences arising from the expectations of transformative social science and its (self-)attributions. The conference call met with surprisingly high interest. This was due not only to the theoretical problem, but also to the special situations in peripheral regions. Here, scientists at universities of applied sciences and other research institutions encounter particular ambivalences, incompatibilities and ethical dilemmas, especially in the context of third-party funded projects.

The conference kicked off with a double keynote speech by Dr. Stefan Schweiger and Dr. Jan-Peter Voß. Stefan Schweiger referred to intrinsic logics and the limits of transfer claims from a systems theory perspective. Jan-Peter Voß took up the dispute about transformative and non-transformative science and advocated a (more) differentiated view of different political constitutions, each of which corresponds to a transformative understanding of science. The evening ended with a dinner at the Obermühle, with ample opportunities for informal exchange and networking.

On the second day, a total of 70 participants from various scientific disciplines discussed issues such as social innovation (capacity), transdisciplinarity and participation in research, the “tools” of transformative science and regional development, ethical implications and gender perspectives in six panels.

The organizers would like to thank all participants for their valuable input and interesting discussions, as well as the TRAWOS office for its organizational support.