BeAT – Professional Development and Training CenterOn March 18 and 19, 2026, the DekaRB project team participated in the conference »Networking – Co-creating – Making a Difference: Kickoff for the Energy Transition Society« in Berlin. The event brought together for the first time researchers from over 40 ongoing projects within the »Energy Transition & Society« funding priority and provided a structured framework for professional exchange, networking, and the joint advancement of society-related energy transition research.
As part of the »A Look at the Projects« gallery walk, the DekaRB team presented the project using a poster. The exchange with representatives from academia, accompanying research, and practice facilitated in-depth discussions on DekaRB’s objectives as well as on interfaces with other projects within the funding priority. In particular, questions regarding the transferability of results into corporate decision-making processes and the involvement of workforces in transformation processes within companies generated significant interest.
In the »Encounter and Exchange at the Thematic Tables« format, the DekaRB team actively participated in discussions on the topics of »Acceptance and Participation« and »Social Justice.« The discussions addressed key project questions, such as the role of internal stakeholder groups, perceptions of transformation pressure, and the conditions for designing change processes in the context of the energy transition in a way that is perceived as fair.
In the workshops on expanding expertise and knowledge communication, DekaRB participated in the session »Foresight – Understanding Future Trends: Societal Perspectives on the Energy Transition.« The workshop addressed methodological approaches to the early identification of societal trends and discussed their significance for research, policy advice, and practice. Participation provided valuable insights for the further development of the future perspectives and scenarios used in the project.
The DekaRB team also played an active role in the deep-dive sessions: Stefanie Seitz moderated the »Socio-technical Transformation« thematic group of the »Energy Transition and Society« research network and structured the discussion on the interactions between technological innovations, organizational structures, and societal conditions. Based on the results obtained, the working group is drafting a white paper for policy advice.
Additionally, Anna Mehlis participated in the discussion »Local Right-Wing Shift and The Role of Science and Scientists« which addressed challenges for research and science communication amid societal polarization. This was a topic that had already been discussed in the poster session.
Conclusion
The BEWEGT conference offered the DekaRB project a variety of opportunities to contextualize its own research findings, further develop its methodology, and engage in dialogue with other projects within the funding priority. The combination of project presentations, thematic exchange, methodological exploration, and networking activities provided important impetus for further project work and for positioning DekaRB within energy transition research with a societal focus.