Frankfurt School in dialogue with German and international politics

In December, eight Frankfurt School professors met with executives from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, the European Commission and the OECD. The meetings and discussions took place within the framework of the Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship-Programme, which promotes bridge-building between science and political-administration. The participating scientists learn first-hand about the issues executives are facing in their business, which in turn might trigger ideas for their own research. The focus of this year’s talks with Frankfurt School professors was on financial markets, the real economy, digitalisation and sustainability.

Prof. Kornelia Fabisik met with two officials from the European Commission and with an OECD analyst. "For me the Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship-Programme offered the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with executives from political administration responsible for sustainability guidelines. Without the programme, I probably would never have met them, and I wish we had more of these opportunities."

Prof. Jochen Schlapp had a discussion with officials from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and the European Commission: "The Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship-Programme is an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about the issues that policy-makers are currently facing, and it gives me a unique chance to enter into a lasting dialogue and to jointly develop ideas and solutions. From my recent discussions, I gained valuable insights into how policy-makers assess the opportunities and risks associated with new technologies."

The Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship-Programme is organised by Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in cooperation with Stiftung Mercator and non-university science institutions in the Rhine-Main region. Since 2020, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management is participating in the programme.