New international partnership project with Chile

LMU is further expanding its research cooperation with Latin America: With the project ‘GIST-Hub - Inclusive Governance and Innovation for Sustainability Transitions’, the Department of Geography is launching a new partnership with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC). The aim is to jointly develop solutions for an inclusive and sustainable transformation of the economy and society.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project with around 750,000 euros over five years. Prof Johannes Glückler, holder of the Chair of Economic Geographies of the Future, is leading the project at LMU.

Science meets practice

With the GIST-Hub, LMU and UC are creating a platform for interdisciplinary research, scientific exchange and practical training. Researchers from various disciplines work together with stakeholders from politics, business and civil society on issues relating to governance, innovation and sustainability.

The GIST Hub pursues three central objectives:

• Establishment of a permanent, internationally visible partner network.
• Development of joint research projects on sustainable transformation.
• Establishment of an in-service training diploma for decision-makers in Chile.

Kick-Off in Santiago de Chile

The project was officially launched at the end of March. Prof Glückler, together with the head of the UC Department of Geography, Prof Johannes Rehner, presented the initiative at a kick-off event at the UC Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science. The team presented the focal points and objectives of the GIST-Hub and laid the initial foundations for future collaboration.

The project builds on more than 15 years of academic partnership between Prof. Glückler and UC, which has already resulted in numerous joint publications, teaching formats and the establishment of international degree programmes - including the Master's degree programme ‘Governance of Risk and Resources’ at the Heidelberg Center for Latin America.

‘With the GIST-Hub, we are bringing together different perspectives and knowledge systems to develop new solutions for global challenges,’ emphasises Prof. Glückler. ‘The exchange with our partners in Chile provides valuable impetus for research, teaching and social impact.’

Transformative knowledge for business, politics and civil society

A central milestone is the digital ‘Knowledge Hub’, which pools the research findings from the resulting projects. It also serves as the basis for a governance case methodology that is being continuously developed as a tool for political decision-making processes, scientific analyses and further education formats. In addition, the GIST-Hub will offer the ‘Inclusive Governance and Innovation in Sustainability Transitions’ diploma, an in-service training programme that provides decision-makers from politics, business and civil society with the skills they need to actively shape sustainable developments.

Find more information on the project website