Research projects
Our understanding of science is based on a holistic understanding of the interdependencies of technology development and society. Technology does not take place in isolation from humans. Rather, it is the result of our creativity, our work, and the expression of our needs and the purposes that are reflected in it. Therefore, it must always be considered in its social and political context.
What role do technical innovations play in social development and how does it work the other way around? What are the consequences for different social groups? How can socially and environmentally compatible innovations be promoted through appropriate political instruments and institutional frameworks? How can the development and design of technology do justice to the diversity of its users? Conversely, how can the potentials brought about by increasing social diversity be promoted and released?
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the core of the 2030 Agenda. As interdisciplinary fields of action for sustainability, the goals map the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable global development. The GDI incorporates the context of the SDGs into its teaching and research activities. The framework of our (research) projects is therefore primarily the sustainability goals framed in orange, which are addressed by addresses our current (research) projects. Past projects can be found in our archive section Completed Projects.
Distance and Subjective Safety in Cycling
The study aims to capture the subjective and measured safety of cyclists in a multi-methodical approach, using motion data combined with subjective assessments of incidents measured via the SimRa app, data on overtaking vehicles measured via OpenBikeSensors, and qualitative interviews.
BIOS – Cooperative Course in Civil Engineering with Orientation Semester
BIOS is the result of the successful project experiences with the "Good start of studies in engineering". The eight-semester bachelor's course is aimed at students who want to get their bearings in the field of civil engineering between the two universities. There is a clear focus on the topic of socially responsible technology design.
DECART
DECART project is an international cooperation partnership, including France, Iceland, Indonesia, Lithuania, and South Africa. The primary goal is to allow partner’s organisations to increase the quality and relevance of their curriculum activities, to increase their capacity to operate jointly at transnational level, boosting internationalisation of their activities and through exchanging or developing new practices and methods as well as sharing and confronting ideas in curriculum design, with a focus on resilience and transformation.
ENHANCE+ Future Skills for Engineers and Scientists
Within the ENHANCE+ program, the GDI is actively involved in Work Package 4, titled "Future Skills for Engineers and Scientists." The objective of this work package is to identify interdisciplinary personal and social competencies, referred to as Future Skills. These competencies are intended to empower engineers to contribute to a competitive, resilient, and value-oriented Europe. The specific objectives of Work Package 4 encompass establishing a shared understanding of the required competencies for future professionals in these fields, identifying gaps between the necessary Future Skills and the current educational offerings at ENHANCE universities, and developing suitable educational formats for imparting these skills.
Graduate College ACCESS!
What mobility will we be able to afford in the future? Within the framework of this research question, questions of mobility and related challenges in rural as well as urban areas are investigated.
Fuel Science Center
Within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence "The Fuel Science Center - Adaptive Conversion Systems for Renewable Energy and Carbon Sources" (FSC), the GDI is researching the implementation of a diversity management approach in complex organizational structures. The central task here is the development of a concept within the framework of a system-theoretical approach, which enables the anchoring of the diversity management approach in the organizational culture and structure of the cluster. Mechanisms of human-centered and diversity-sensitive change management will also be applied.
ImPreSSion
The cooperative Erasmus+ project ImPreSSion aims to prepare university graduates from the Ghanaian partner universities specifically for challenges in the areas of agriculture, water and energy in terms of sustainable development through capacity development. The project consortium consists of the University of Ghana, the University of Energy and Natural Resources, the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Politecnico di Milano and RWTH Aachen University.
Cluster of Excellence "Internet of Production"
The GDI is represented in two sub-projects within the Cluster of Excellence. Within the sub-project "Equal Opportunities", the GDI is researching the implementation of a diversity management approach in complex organisational structures. The sub-project D1 "Integrated Usage" places human users and workers, who are a crucial component of social-technical production systems, in the centre of attention.
MOOC "Responsible Innovators of Tomorrow"
Promoting responsible societal transformation is one goal of the European network "ENHANCE". Within ENHANCE, GDI together with the RRI Hub of RWTH Aachen University is responsible for the development of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) "Responsible Innovators of Tomorrow", which was developed in collaboration with colleagues from other ENHANCE universities.
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Hub
The aim of the RRI Hub is to become a nucleus for a sustainable and socially responsible orientation of teaching and research. The hub provides a platform and creates momentum for existing and future initiatives and projects while also enhancing the involvement of civil society and politics. The RWTH aims to establish an extensive cooperation between science and civil society, which not only contributes to more mutual transparency and acceptance, but also offers socially responsible solutions for complex problems.
SFB sub-project Equal Opportunities
Within the context of the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 188 "Damage-controlled forming processes", the GDI is investigating the implementation of diversity management in engineering research networks. In particular, the application and sustainability of the anti-bias approach is being investigated and further developed in a target group-adaptive manner.
SFB - Structural and Chemical Atomic Complexity
Within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre “Structural and Chemical Atomic Complexity – From Defect Phase Diagrams to Material Properties“(SFB 1394), the GDI is researching the implementation of a diversity management approach in complex organizational structures. The central task here is the development of a concept within the framework of a system-theoretical approach, which enables the anchoring of the diversity management approach in the organizationalculture and structure of the Collaborative Research Centre.