Research plays an important role in the transformation of the Swiss energy system. To generate impacts, stakeholders from society, business and politics must be involved in the research from the outset. This requires appropriate structures and iterative processes following the approach of transdisciplinarity (TD). Effective knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) is needed to communicate, implement and upscale the solutions from research.
In SWEET, the consortia are responsible for the implementation of TD and KTT. However, the SWEET Office supports consortia in several ways.
In the area of TD, the SWEET Office collaborates with the Network for Transdisciplinary Research (td-net) of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. td-net has produced a document with practical tips on how to get started with TD. During the application phase, a workshop will be organised for each of the consortia invited to submit a full proposal. During the implementation phase, consortia may apply for further support on specific TD topics.
For KTT, a KTT toolbox has been developed as a first measure, based on the experience of the previous SCCER programme. It is intended to give the consortia fresh impetus for their knowledge transfer activities and to motivate them to try out new, innovative approaches. Twice a year, the SWEET Office also organises voluntary workshops for those responsible for KTT in the consortia. Each workshop is dedicated to a specific topic and provides an opportunity for those responsible for KTT to share their experiences.
