BeAT – Professional Development and Training CenterOn March 17 and 18, 2026, the »Congress on Energy Research in Industry and Commerce« took place at Tagungswerk Berlin, organized as part of the EE4InG2 accompanying research project. Against the backdrop of changing energy and geopolitical conditions, the congress provided a platform to assess the current state of application-oriented energy research and to facilitate exchange among stakeholders from industry, academia, politics, and funding institutions.
The DekaRB project team was represented with a poster presentation and an accompanying pitch, presenting the project’s key research approaches. Aligned with the congress’s theme of developing effective solutions for industrial transformation that are both rapid and well-founded, DekaRB specifically addressed the question of how technological innovations can be strategically, organizationally, and socially embedded.
The conference made it clear that traditional questions in energy research—such as increasing efficiency, electrification, or the use of renewable energies—are increasingly being considered alongside topics like resilience, security of supply, competitiveness, and social acceptance. This perspective shaped both the keynote presentations and the panel discussions. Questions from the audience repeatedly highlighted a need for concepts that go beyond purely technological solutions and take a holistic view of transformation processes.
Against this backdrop, the DekaRB approach drew particular interest. Based on its study results, the project was able to demonstrate how social and organizational aspects could be taken into account as early as the initial phases of applied research—for example, as a foundation for sustainable transformation strategies in industry and commerce. In doing so, the presentation provided a targeted impetus for cross-linking the research networks »Industry and Commerce« and »Energy Transition and Society.«
The interactive conference formats provided suitable opportunities for this: numerous in-depth discussions took place during the poster session and the poster pitch on the first day of the event. Intense discussions also took place at the thematic tables on the second day of the conference and during the networking sessions on how technological innovation, digitalization, and societal framework conditions c ely be integrated more effectively. In the process, both technical interfaces with other research projects (e.g., in Lusatia) and potential avenues for practical application were identified.
Overall, the conference confirmed the high relevance of integrated research approaches for the industrial energy transition. The response to the DekaRB presentation demonstrated that a systematic focus on societal, strategic, and organizational issues serves as a meaningful complement to technology-oriented energy research and contributes to a deeper exchange between research networks.