The Expertise and Knowledge Exchange Office facilitates dialog and networking between scientists and society. It implements its own activities and measures and promotes new formats. During the current start-up phase of the Office, the focus is on stakeholders from politics, art, and culture. The approach of KnEx is divided into the four pillars of consulting and networking, qualification, modular funding, and KnEx Fellowship.

Consulting and Networking

KnEx is the focal point at the BUA for knowledge exchange activities. It provides comprehensive information on contacts and expertise as well as forms, topics, and funding opportunities for knowledge exchange.

Scientists can learn about ways to exchange knowledge with society at workshops, lectures, and pilot events. In this context, KnEx also takes up science policy debates in the Berlin area and offers BUA stakeholders a platform for their own positioning.

Qualification

KnEx promotes networking between the scientists active in knowledge exchange at the BUA on the one hand, and between scientists and practice partners on the other.

In addition, KnEx imparts basic knowledge about working methods and knowledge dynamics of non-scientific fields of practice such as political institutions and paves access to these fields, for example, through media training and coaching on political consulting.

KnEx plans to hold an international symposium on knowledge exchange methods and challenges every two years.

Modular Funding

KnEx funds knowledge exchange measures. Instead of funding a few individual, large-scale projects, the BUA's role is seen primarily as an "incubator." Therefore, the focus will be on modular funding of innovative approaches to knowledge exchange with varying financial volumes, which will be decided upon through calls for proposals and applications.

The exact application and allocation procedure for the funding line is still being developed and will be presented here in due course.

KnEx-Fellowship

The KnEx Fellowship has three goals at the interface between science and society:

1. Establishment of a network between social and scientific stakeholders
2. Intersectoral exchange on topics, ways of working and methods
3. Reflect practical knowledge scientifically and enrich scientific knowledge with experiences with societal stakeholders and institutions.

The exact application and allocation procedure for the funding line is currently still being developed and will be communicated and presented here in due course.