"Paderborn Research Centre for Sustainable Economy" officially opened
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important: in society, in business and in science. As an important topic for the future, it is already permeating almost all areas of life. With the "Paderborn Research Center for Sustainable Economy" - PARSEC for short - the Paderborn University is instituting a research centre that aims to establish itself as a trusted partner for those who want to shape their transformation paths in a scientifically sound and accompanied manner. The official opening took place on Friday, 7 June.
"With the establishment of PARSEC, the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics at Paderborn University has set the course for the future": With these words, the Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Prof Dr Burkhard Hehenkamp, opened PARSEC in the former premises of garage33 in the Paderborn Technology Park. The ceremony was attended by numerous guests from the worlds of business, science and politics. Prof Dr René Fahr, Vice President for Knowledge and Technology Transfer, praised the faculty's initiative: "It's something special when a topic like this is launched at a university. I see PASREC as a treasure for the OWL region. It will provide impetus for the economy and society. This transfer is urgently needed in order to tackle research topics relating to sustainability."
Paderborn University and the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics have extensive expertise in the field of sustainability and flank the institutional focus with numerous activities in research and teaching. With the founding of PARSEC, this knowledge is now being pooled and further expanded. The faculty understands "sustainable economy" as long-term oriented economic development that takes social, environmental and cultural phenomena into account.
Prof. Dr. Guido Schryen, former dean and co-initiator of the centre, emphasised the importance of the institution: "Sustainability in its many facets will be one of the most important issues facing humanity in the long term. As economic challenges are also deeply rooted in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics sees sustainability as one of the most important future topics for Paderborn's economic sciences. We want to teach sustainability issues to the next generation of students as well as provide answers to economic and social questions of a sustainable economy through our research."
Prof Dr Martin Kesternich, spokesperson for PARSEC, added: "The sustainability debate is increasingly about the challenges of concrete implementation: how can we 'get into action'? With PARSEC, we want to provide evidence-based support for these questions from a scientific perspective. This programme is aimed at all stakeholders who want to play an active role in shaping the necessary transformation paths."
Keynotes emphasise the importance of sustainability
Two keynote speeches were among the highlights of the opening ceremony. Prof Dr Andreas Löschel, Professor of Environmental/Resource Economics and Sustainability at Ruhr University Bochum and Chairman of the Expert Commission for the German government's "Energy of the Future" monitoring process, spoke about the energy of the future. In her keynote speech, Neele Rickers, Head of Marketing, CRS & Development at SC Paderborn 07, focussed on the topic of sustainability in sport using the example of the club and systematic developments in professional football. Both speakers emphasised the urgency and importance of sustainability in today's world as well as the role of research and education and, in particular, cooperation with companies in this field. The PARSEC could provide important assistance in this regard.
