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Knowledge creates impact when it is taken up by people and society. In the Valorisation28 project, we work in close collaboration with Germany’s four major research-performing organisations (RPOs) to explore how integrating different realities of life increases the added value of research results – for higher quality research and greater economic and social benefits from innovation.
Background
At EU level, knowledge valorisation refers to the process of transforming research results into societal benefit and economic value. This understanding goes beyond traditional technology transfer: alongside patents, it includes data, software, expertise, societal impulses, and policy recommendations – developed jointly with diverse groups of actors.
For research to generate impact, it must take different target groups into account. Integrating gender aspects strengthens the excellence and relevance of research and is therefore reflected, among others, in the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) Guidelines for Good Research Practice. Moreover, the political framework calls for the effective realisation of gender equality in the use of research knowledge – ranging from the constitutional principle of equality, through the federal coalition agreement, to the principles for a gender-equal society set out in the EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights.
Project Objectives
The project explores how a cultural change can be achieved so that the gender dimension becomes an integral and self-evident element in turning knowledge into impact within Germany’s major non-university research-performing organisations – the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society, the Helmholtz Association, and the Leibniz Association.
Building on the current European understanding of knowledge valorisation as a collective, societally impactful process, the project goes beyond a narrow transfer logic. Its objective is to ensure that gender aspects are systematically considered in how research results are used, including in collaborations, transfer projects, licensing activities, and spin-offs.
What does this look like in practice? Examples of effective use of research results that takes the gender dimension into account
- When new occupational fields emerge within the area of renewable energy and women are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, targeted measures are needed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in these fields.
- When studies show that men tend to have greater knowledge of financial investments, tailored approaches are required to systematically strengthen women’s financial literacy.
- The development of personalised medicine requires the investigation of side effects disaggregated by sex, as well as by other diversity characteristics.
Integrating gender aspects enables broader impact – scientifically, societally, and economically.
Projekt approach
In close collaboration with strategy leads, researchers, and gender experts, the project focuses on three core elements:
- Identifying thematic fields in which gender is particularly relevant for the use and uptake of research results (e.g. artificial intelligence, energy, health)
- Workshops and dialogue formats that stimulate discussion around knowledge valorisation and translate gender expertise into practice
- Evaluation and indicators to make progress in cultural change measurable.
The results will be shared and taken up through a web platform, exchange formats, and events. Transferable tools and success factors will be developed that remain effective beyond the project’s duration.
Project duration: 1 October 2025 – 30 September 2028 (36 months)
Funding: Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)
