Stakeholder Board

Insights and practical knowledge. The DKCC has established a Stakeholder Board comprised of seven practitioners in the area of climate change. The aim of the Board is to strengthen the direct interaction of DKCC students with practitioners and to provide critical insights into the relevance of DKCC research results. For us, stakeholders are direct users of scientific results such as governors and administrators, as well as experts and policy-advisors, who can advise researchers on what kind of scientific results prove relevant in practice. In providing non-academic views, the stakeholder board can elicit decisions on how to go about science communication. Their perspectives help in learning how to present research results such that their relevance to decision makers or the general public is increased.

Empowerment and direct interaction. The goal is to empower DKCC students to deliver accessible and useful work to policy actors and experts. Furthermore, engaging with stakeholders will allow them to build networks that improve their job prospects outside of academia. Doctoral researchers can establish contacts for their career and develop skills and strategies for engaging in private and public sectors. The DKCC Stakeholder Board consists of seven members from government bodies, industry and expert organizations. Stakeholders and doctoral students meet at DKCC events, at round table formats, in face-to-face meetings and in internships at the stakeholders’ organizations.

Stakeholder Board Members:

Andrea Gössinger-Wieser, regional government Styria, Austria, climate change coordinator

Clemens Konrad, environmental lawyer, Environment Agency Austria

Arno Mayer, provincial chamber of agriculture, Austria, head of department

Maria Patek, Federal Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, Head of Section III

Bernhard Puttinger, CEO Green Tech Cluster Styria, Austria

Leida Rijnhout, international consultant on sustainable development

Roda Verheyen, climate lawyer at Law Günther & Partner, Germany