Project overview

In the winter of 2023/24, protesting farmers attracted a great deal of attention with tractor demonstrations and highway blockades. On this occasion, an interdisciplinary team consisting of researchers from the Institute of Geography and the Institute of Social Sciences was formed at Osnabrück University. The aim of the interdisciplinary project team is to gain a better understanding of the motives behind the agricultural protests and the attitudes of farmers in general.

Duration: From 02/2024
Funding: Self-funding
Head:  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz,  Prof. Dr. Hajo Holst

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The DFG-funded Research Training Group ECORISK (Ecological Regime Shifts and Systemic Risk in Coupled Socio-Ecological Systems) is dedicated to the study of ecological regime shifts and systemic risks in coupled socio-ecological systems. Our world is characterized by extensive ecological challenges such as land-use change, climate change and biodiversity loss. There are interactions between them that lead to unforeseen regime shifts and systemic risks. We want to better understand these interrelationships in order to be able to prevent undesirable developments in advance. The focus here is on intensive agriculture. This represents the most important characteristics of sustainability problems: complex, cross-scale dynamics, non-linearities and high uncertainties, combined with conflicts of interest and unequal distributions of power.

Duration: 10/2024 - 09/2029
Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG)
Head:  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz
Contact:  Jana Rülke

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The first binding regulations on the sustainability of global value chains have only been issued in Europe since the mid-2010s - e.g. the French Loi de Vigilance, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the EU Supply Chain Directive (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive). The consequences of such regulations are still largely unexplored: for the companies concerned, the governance structures of global value chains, innovation-friendliness and technology sovereignty, interactions with private sector standards and international law, as well as in relation to sustainability in the production countries, but also in Germany. The Science Area Sustainability Governance of Global Value Chains aims to strategically develop this increasingly socially explosive and scientifically relevant topic by interdisciplinary bundling of the different competencies of the three universities in Lower Saxony Lüneburg (in the lead), Oldenburg and Osnabrück with a cooperative relationship in the Hamburg metropolitan region with the Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) there.

Duration: 08/2024 - 07/2028
Funding: Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and Volkswagen Foundation
Head:  Prof. Dr. Jens Newig (University of Lüneburg)
Contact:  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz

The KlimaEvent project deals with the effects of climate change on the event industry. This is one of the most climate-sensitive sectors and is directly affected by the effects of climate change if events have to be canceled or postponed due to heavy rain, storms or heat and drought. The municipality of Bad Essen, which is one of the network partners alongside the University of Applied Sciences and Osnabrück University, will serve as an example. The overarching goal of the project is to develop a concept that helps stakeholders in the event industry and the municipality to adapt to the effects of climate change and thus establish processes in which the need for action and possible climate adaptation measures are developed and implemented (together with the affected stakeholders). The aim is to empower stakeholders in Bad Essen to adapt to climate change. At the same time, the knowledge gained can be transferred to other municipalities with similar framework conditions and thus serve as an example of best practice and a model region, as well as providing guidance and assistance for action throughout Germany.

Duration: 04/2023 - 03/2026
Funding: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
Management:  Prof. Dr. Kim Werner (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences),  Prof. Dr. Kai-Michael Griese (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences),  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz,  Dr. Thomas Neise
Contact:  Laura Hoth

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The research project examines the coping measures and strategic adjustments of companies during the COVID-19 crisis. The empirical analysis focuses on catering businesses in cities in Lower Saxony. The structural change in the catering industry and the closure of restaurants not only affect the respective businesses, but also the cities in which they are or were located. The project will not only make an important and innovative contribution to scientific debates, but will also contribute to a better understanding of current economic developments that are of great political and public interest.

Duration: 10/2022 - 11/2025
Funding: Pro*Niedersachsen - Forschungsprojekte der Geistes-, Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften
Head:  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz,  Dr. Thomas Neise,  Dr. Phillip Verfürth
Contact:  Isabelle Dachs

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For a long time, the issue of restaurants was neglected in Germany, both in economic development and urban planning as well as in spatial research. Yet restaurants have a considerable influence on the attractiveness, image and development of cities, neighborhoods and villages. The Human Geography working group began working on this topic in 2018. This ongoing research includes work on how hospitality businesses deal with crisis situations, the decline of traditional pubs and the importance of the post-economy for urban development.

Duration: ongoing
Funding: self-funding
Head:  Prof. Dr. Martin Franz,  Dr. Thomas Neise,  Dr. Phillip Verfürth

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The aim of Hotspot Project 23 is to secure and expand the existing, richly structured and valuable habitats in the districts of Emsland, Cloppenburg, Oldenburg and Vechta through nature conservation measures, thereby strengthening the biodiversity present there. The nature conservation measures are accompanied by intensive public relations work in order to increase the appreciation of biodiversity and the acceptance of measures to protect and promote it among the population. The socio-economic evaluation is intended to monitor the impact of the publicity measures. The evaluation will be carried out before the start of the measures, during the implementation phase and towards the end of the project.

Duration: 07/2022 - 06/2027
Funding: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
Head:  Dr. Philip Verfürth