Abstract:

The BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) funding priority “Innovative Capability in Demographic Change” contributes significantly to Germany’s future competitive ability. This requires a successful and sustainable transfer of research results into society, economy, science and politics. The meta project DemoScreen within that funding priority supports activities of mutual and joint learning of researchers and practitioners of various disciplines and branches by fostering communication and cooperation. From a transfer-theoretical perspective the article presents four cross-sectional tasks for the design of inter- and transdisciplinary learning processes.

1 ENABLING COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
The meta project DemoScreen adopts a central function for the content-related further development of the funding priority, for the bundling and synthesis of various research results, and for their dissemination. It carries out its activities in an area of tension of the levels: joint projects, focus groups, funding priority and program. As a meta project focusing on the development of learning processes via communication and cooperation it has various target groups outside the funding priority and in various social sub-domains that are understood as both receivers of the findings and co-developers of solutions. To this end, DemoScreen works out insights into the development of communication, cooperation and innovative capability under conditions of demographic change.

2 FORSTERING KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER THROUGH INTER- AND TRANSDISCIPLINAIRY LEARNING
The article will present first results on the design of learning processes within the funding priority concerning the following four cross-sectional tasks.

2.1 Cross-Linkage and Constitution of Alliances
This field deals with processes and the technological infrastructure for the design of virtual and real learning networks between relevant stakeholders. In order to optimally prepare an actual implementation of (integrated) methods it is necessary to not only theoretically unify the contents but to practically bring together relevant actors and institutions from research and practice.

2.2 Target-Group Adaptation and Method Integration
This area encompasses the identification of necessary learning steps in the development of individualized solutions. Disciplinary specification and the overall still underdeveloped capacity and efforts for interdisciplinarity have led to a heterogeneous multitude of methods in science. Still, the goal must not be the conglomeration of one-size-fits-all methods but the joint development of flexible methods that can be adapted to the specific needs of the enterprises.

2.3 Dissemination and Enabling
Here, light is shed on processes of knowledge transformation for the reception, distribution and application of results through joint learning. The basic problem of enabling is the impossibility of simply copying knowledge. The challenge thus is the communicative design of transformation processes between explicit and implicit knowledge.

2.4 Operationalization and Measurement
The task aims at the creation, delimitation and measurement of the construct “Innovative Capability in Demographic Change” and its connected factors. In the end, the question of positive and negative influence factors and thus the question of the concept “Innovative Capability” in general depends on reliable and valid methods of operationalization and measurement.

Keywords:

Joint Learning, Knowledge Transfer, Innovative Capability, Research Funding, Cooperation, Communication, Transdisciplinarity, Demographic Change.