2019-05-07 P&E Agenda - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Sustainability Institute - Concepts and Options Report

3. Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies
http://www.iass-potsdam.de/en/institute




Institute model – Physical institute located at Kleist Villa’ Berliner Strasse, Potsdam.
Active organisation – Founded in 2009.
Background – The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) is an international,
interdisciplinary hybrid between a research institute and a transdisciplinary think tank, conducting
research with the goal of identifying, advancing, and guiding transformation processes towards
sustainable societies.
Mission – To gather together all relevant forms of knowledge from science, society and politics in
order to initiate and support a transformation towards sustainable development that is grounded in
scientific research.
Governance structure – The Institute is run by a large research management staff and overseen
by a General Assembly. There is a Board of Directors and an Executive Board of Directors.
Funding sources – The Institute is predominantly funded through government sources (Federal
Ministry of Education and Research; Ministry of Science, Research and Culture). Collaborations with
private investors and other research groups is also sought.
Selection criteria – This Institute was selected as an example of a hybrid between a research
institute and a transdisciplinary think tank. The Institute collaborates and cooperates with partners
in academia, political institutions, administrations, civil society, and the business community to
understand sustainability challenges and generate potential solutions. The Institute has multiple
research areas with multiple research projects/topics within each area. This institute also engages
in Fellowship programs; Workshops and regularly held seminars.




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