Connex - Dr. Hans Riegel Science Networking

Funding programme for interdisciplinary cooperation between economists and social scientists with other disciplines in Germany and Europe

Background information

What do up-and-coming scientists need to carve out their scientific careers?

Experience in teaching, research and academic self-administration is expected for attractive positions in business and higher education. In addition, interdisciplinary co-operation and an understanding of other subject areas are becoming increasingly important. Joint projects, courses and publications are valuable elements of an academic career path.

Target Group

The programme is aimed at young academics in business administration, economics and social sciences at German and European universities and research institutions in collaboration with colleagues from disciplines such as STEM, art, education or other subject areas.

Applicants must be employed for a fixed term. There is no age limit.

Funding

Funding is available for activities, ideas and events that serve to establish a two- to three-member interdisciplinary scientific project team. These include:

  • Research and development costs

  • Publication costs, including open resource fees

  • Acquisition of software and IT infrastructure

  • Archive and field visits

  • Costs and acquisitions in the context of data collection

  • Work meetings, travel and accommodation costs (these may account for up to 50% of the funding amount)

The maximum amount of funding is €6,500.00. A new application is possible six months after submission of the final report.

An interim report must be submitted after half of the estimated project duration. At the end of the funding period, a final report of at least two pages must be submitted, including a statement of costs and a chart showing the project objectives and milestones achieved. Unused funds must be repaid at the end of the project

The project entitled "Factors and influences of creative collaboration between humans and artificial

human and artificial intelligence" was about generating empirical findings on the behaviour of human participants in teams made up of humans and artificial intelligence (AI). The question of how AI-based systems can be used to maximise the effectiveness of collaboration between team members was investigated. After three experimental studies and several preliminary studies, the research team from the field of business informatics came to the conclusion, among other things, that the involvement of an AI has an influence on the willingness of human team members to take on various tasks. Published articles have emerged from the project. The research results were also presented at specialist conferences.

How are digital platforms such as Lieferando, Uber or Helpling changing the world of labour and services? 

As part of the funded project, the funding recipients organised a workshop organised a workshop with 24 participants in Berlin in March 2023. The overarching topic were digital platforms such as Lieferando, Uber and Helpling and how they are changing the world of work and services.

Based on the initial presentation of the research priorities four thematic clusters were formed: 

  • Care work and social affairs 
  • Restructuring of value chains
  • Migration and racism
  • Urbanisation and housing

Workshops were held in the respective clusters with the aim of recognising synergies and developing plans for future research projects and collaborations. The results of the workshops ranged from a concrete project idea on "Crowdwork and Migration" to short "Research and Discussion Articles". In one case, a specific journal has already been selected and a workflow designed. Following the workshop, a distribution list for continuous communication and the organisation of a follow-up conference were initiated. 

The project "Gender Disparities in the Attention to Cardiovascular Research" analysed the influence of female (co-)authorship on the visibility of scientific articles in the field of cardiology and cardiovascular research. The rate of citations in other articles was selected as a factor of visibility. In the study of over 6,000 articles in the top 5 journals in cardiovascular and cardiological science, it was found that articles by female first and last authors have 20% lower visibility than articles by male first and last authors. In addition, visibility already decreases if one of the two author positions is held by a female author. The study now forms a basis for measures to review and transform gender bias in male-dominated fields towards a more equal scientific landscape.

Application Process

Please use the application form (three pages) and send it  to connex(at)hans-riegel-stiftung.com together with tabular CVs (including a list of publications) of the two to three applicants, a one-page project synopsis and a Gantt chart with objectives and milestones.

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Contact

Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation
Project Manager Dr. Leonie Grafweg
Am Neutor 3
53113 Bonn
Germany
+49 (0)228-22744717
leonie.grafweg@hans-riegel-stiftung.com