Current research projects

PerPlacsBio

The aim of PerPlacsBio is to investigate the potential for reducing plastic use and long-term plastic persistence, while at the same time strengthening awareness and knowledge regarding the sustainable use of (bio-)plastics.
The project is conducted as a collaborative initiative. The NOVA Institute provides the foundational knowledge for decision-making, for example on the appropriate application of bioplastics, while the University of Münster and the University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg take the lead in conducting surveys and interviews in the agricultural and forestry sectors. In cooperation with practitioners, industry actors and other stakeholders, the feasibility of proposed measures and alternatives will be examined and discussed through participatory formats. The results of the project will be made publicly available in a user-friendly and clearly structured database.
The project is funded by the Fachagentur für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) within the funding programme “Sustainable Renewable Resources,” under the priority area “Information and Societal Dialogue on Bioeconomy and Sustainability.”

Project lead: Dr'in Cornelia Steinhäuser und Dr'in Friederike Gabel

Project duration: Nov 2025 - Sept 2027

Making the future appealing! Utopias for inclusive implementation of the sustainability strategy in the Tecklenburg real-world laboratory

The project establishes a real-world laboratory in Tecklenburg and explores ways to implement the municipal sustainability strategy in an inclusive manner, in which citizens dream up desirable futures and actively help to shape them. Various building blocks for the future contribute to strengthening the region's transformative resilience and transforming fear of the future into optimism about the future. As part of the project, building blocks for the future are being designed and tested that tie in with the fields of action of the Tecklenburg sustainability strategy and focus on individual transformation challenges. At the table of utopias, citizens are invited to dream and encouraged to take action.

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Project duration: 2025 - 2025

Establishment of a nationwide model and demonstration network for agroforestry in Germany; sub-project 12: Continuation of knowledge production through a citizen science network – acronym: MODEMA

The project is part of the joint project ‘Model and Demonstration Project for Agroforestry in Germany’, in which it contributes to work package 8 ‘Knowledge Transfer’ through participatory contributions using the citizen science approach. The content of the project will be developed in moderated exchange processes between specialist scientists and local citizen science groups at the cooperating agroforestry farms. The two-year project aims to lay the foundations for the continuation of research activities and the expansion of a citizen science network for agroforestry. This should enable farm managers and local stakeholders to evaluate the functionality of their agroforestry systems and the success of management options on site. 

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Term: 2024 - 2027