Roads grow out of going them. (Franz Kafka)
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What we do

Borderstep: Science with impact

An independent not-for-profit research institution, Borderstep

  • carries out publicly funded research projects in the areas of the green economy, green innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship
  • prepares market research, technology and other studies for government and civil-society clients, such as in the fields of smart energy applications, green IT, and climate change
  • develops innovative systems for analysis, assessment, and monitoring, such as the Green Economy Start-up Monitor
  • initiates collaborative projects with innovative businesses, universities, and trade associations
  • provides consultancy services to decision-makers in the political and business communities and in civil society
  • hosts conferences, workshops, and dialogue events
  • supports national and international exchange of knowledge and experiences, such as through best-practice brochures, international study tours, and expert workshops
  • provides cutting-edge knowledge free of charge via its website, newsletters, publications, and lectures

Interdisciplinary team

What businesses opportunities does climate change hold in store? What factors determine whether sustainable innovations succeed or fail? How can the housing sector benefit from intelligent technologies? We seek answers to questions like these.

Doing so calls for different perspectives. At Borderstep, experts in business management work with economists, environmental scientists with social scientists, political scientists with engineers. Expert knowledge across various disciplines is a key feature of the Borderstep Institute. Our socio-technical approach is the basis for analyzing transformation and innovation processes and developing strategies so that technical, social, and institutional changes evolve together.

Knowledge creates practical solutions

At the Borderstep Institute we view transdisciplinarity as a principle of integrative research. This approach follows a methodical procedure combining scientific and practical knowledge and addresses problems and their complexity while taking the many and diverse perspectives in sciences and society into account. In our research, we combine theoretical science with knowledge relevant to the particular case in order to develop knowledge for practical solutions oriented toward the common good.

Borderstep News

Heat pumps way out of gas dependence 03.03.2023

Borderstep co-founder Dr. Jens Clausen is co-author of a study on heat pumps presented by ScientistsForFuture just in time for the global climate strike. It shows that in just three years, Germany can reduce up to 60% of the amount of gas previously covered by Russian gas. More

Borderstep supports EU Commission on the topic of data centers 07.02.2023

Borderstep is researching synergies between data centers and energy systems in the DCESS project, which has just started. How can local energy systems use waste heat and water from data center operations? More

Smart City: How can development be managed? 02.02.2023

In a recent article for the Israel Public Policy Institute, Borderstep co-founder and senior researcher Dr. Severin Beucker looks at the state of the debate on this issue in Germany. The article can be downloaded free of charge. More