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1 Large-scale EU project Innovation Incubator Lüneburg Sub-measure 1.44 Leuphanaa Graduate School S Profile paper for the position of Visiting Research Professor for renewable energies in the region (W3) 1. Designation The W3 position has been designated as a research-oriented professorship in the following field: Renewable energies in the region (W3) The position is limited to a maximum period of 21 month. Applicants should s have a proven international track record in research. 2. Large-scale project Innovationn Incubator Lüneburg and allocation of o the position to sub-measure 1.4 Leuphana Graduate School The Innovation Incubator, developed by the Leuphana University of Lüneburg and the German Federal State of Lower Saxony, is a project that is unique in Europe. Over the next fourr years, with an investment volume of around EUR 100m, it will jump-start regional economic development throughh innovative research cooperation, cutting-edge training and development measures in College, Graduate School and Professional School as well as through infrastructure measures. The Innovation Incubator is funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) and the German Federal State of Lower Saxony. The Graduate School of the Leuphana University of Lüneburg is a permanent institution, which was established with a view to strengthening the research capacity within thee region through two essential channels: firstly, through the master s and PhD students, and secondly, s through the Visiting Research Professors,, who will be recruited internationally. To increase the research capacity within thee region, the Leuphana Graduate G School is advertising 15 positionss for Research Professors as part of its sub-measure of the Innovation Incubator Lüneburg. The Professors will act as an interface between the regional economy and a Graduatee School students by harnessing their research expertise and international profile for the region. In return,, the close cooperation with the regional economy is expected to enhance the practical focus of selected study elements and/or programs of the Graduate School. The training that is based on this applied researchh will have a long-term effect on the region s innovation capacity. The Visiting Professors, who will be recruited internationally, will have a management oriented approach and explore issues that are of practical relevance to the region. In addition, the Visiting Professors will be responsible for identifying high-potential candidates among the master s and PhD students and promote their project studies and practice-oriented theses/dissertations with a regional focus. 1

2 The Visiting Professors will not be involved in academic lecturing. Instead, they willl provide individual research advice to master s and PhD students within their respective academic field and be able too offer application-oriented research colloquiums. An additional aim is to develop new relevant study formats for the Graduate School, such as special career services, integrated practice formats or new research-led state enterprises within the region. Furthermore, thee Visiting Professors will initiate joint research projects and conferences together with private and state enterprises and offer them scientific project consultancy. teaching projects and project based teaching inn collaboration with individual private and 3. Profile for the position of Visiting Researchh Professor 3.1 General profile The Visiting Research Professor will act as knowledgee transfer interface between companies and students. This will enable him/her to identifyy highly qualified students and PhD candidates ideally stipend holders and support them in preparing their seminar papers and final projects. At the same time, a network will be established between these high-potential candidates and a the cooperation partners of the regional economy and/or state enterprises to identify opportunities for knowledge k and technologyy transfer. The aim is to place a maximum number of Graduate School students in the t regional labor market once they have completed their studies. At the same time, the Visiting Research Professor will be expected to link his/her own research activities to those of thee regional cooperation partners, initiating joint research and consultancy projects (in which thee students can participate). Another relevant responsibility of the Visiting Research Professor will be to identify and develop new practice-oriented study formats for the Leuphana Graduate School, with a view to enhancing the students qualificationn in line withh the requirements of regional companies. Overall, the Visiting Professor will strengthen the research focus and international profile of the Graduate School and help to direct the focus of the master s and PhD programs toward the requirements of regional companies, thereby acting as an interface between economy and university. 3.2 Subject-specific profile for the t position the region of Visiting Research Professor for renewable energies in After completion of their studies in business administration or sustainability sciences, prospective candidates will have obtained a very good doctoral degree in the field of sustainability management, innovation management, technology management or strategic management. An excellent research publication record or publicationss equivalent to the German habilitation as welll as team spirit, good networking competencies and a network of contacts within the relevant area off specialization are a prerequisite for employment. Candidates will have produced publications of outstanding quality in internationally recognized scholarly journals. They should also have thorough experience in acquiring and implementing research projects funded by highly regarded research institutions. If the candidate s native language is other than German, he or she must have a very good command of the English language and must be willing to acquire some German language skills in a reasonablee amount of time. Ideal candidates have a network of contacts with international organizations favoring sustainability. The prospective holder of the advertised position is expected to commit him or objectives of Leuphana Universityy of Lüneburgg (as specified, for example, on the and to the sustainable development of the Lüneburg region. r herself to the overall website of Leuphana: L 2

3 3.3 Positioning of the research field of renewable energies in the region in a subject-specificc context, both national and international Taken as a whole, today s global energy supply must be labeled as unsustainable, because it is predominantly based on the use of o non-renewable energy resources such as oil, coal and uranium. This is associated with the biggest environmental problems, such as climate change, and substantial social problems (e.g. disruption of functioning social systemss due to massive corruption in oil exporting countries). To promote sustainablee development, structural change toward the use of f renewable energies is indispensable. As a result of the introduction of the German Renewable Energies Law (EEG) as well as the technological advancements achieved over the last decade in the field of renewable energies e and the rejection by large segmentss of the population of nuclear and coal-fired power stations, Germany and the Lüneburg region r are now facing the challenge of ensuring a reliable, technologically safe and efficientt energy supply using renewable energy sources. The vision of a sustainable energy supply offers enormous opportunities for innovative enterprisess and value-added chains.. The holder of the research-focused Visiting Professorship in Renewable Energy Management is expected to address, both analytically and in pragmatic terms, the question of what w entrepreneurial changes and opportunities follow from the EEG s requestedd structural change in the energy industry. The prospective candidate must also analyze the resulting r impact on the regional economy and develop recommendations for future action. Starting points can c be found in the fields of energy saving, energyy efficiency and energy management as well as in the area of electricity generation from renewable sources, project organization, and production of biomass-based energy sources, including the effects on supplyy chains. Against the background of the ongoing debate on the advantages of biofuels (including the platee or tank controversy), the discussion on plant-based fuels could also be relevant to the Lüneburg region. Topics like new business models, the establishment of organizational structures that work fromm the point of view of energy, the launch of models for civic participation in decentralized energy supplyy systems and the management of regional innovation systems are of great interest. In response to these developments, a new research field has emerged, which dealss with the approach of renewable energy management. It can be positioned between the theoretical fields of entrepreneurship research, (strategic) sustainabilityy management, business model research, structural policy management, and project management. Thematic fields likee interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations and technology transfers also play a major role. This research field stands out from other fields byy taking a thorough look not only at the ecological and social aspects but also at the economic objectives of the t energy industry. In view of the increased uncertainty about which technical systems can contribute most to solving problems, this is necessary to actually realize sustainable structural change as quickly as possible. The research field of renewable energy e management is relatively recent, but it is an emerging field and highly respected all over the world. In the international research environment, the topic of renewable energy management is dealt with as a specific facet of sustainability management on the one hand and as an in- depth study of energy management on the other. Accordingly, in both the German-speaking and the English-speaking regions, the topic is elaborated mostly by professors in the areas of sustainability management, environmental and energy management, strategic management, technology and innovation management and sustainable entrepreneurship. 3

4 3.3.1 Basis for the profile of this professorshi p By establishing this visiting professorship, Leuphana University of Lüneburg has the opportunity too sharpen its research profile in the interdisciplinary field of science in a manner that is unique in the German- by speaking research area. The advertised professorship is an important addition to sustainability sciences focusing on one of the key research topicss of sustainable social sciences. s In addition, the unique relationship of this professorship to the natural and technical sciences as applied to sustainability opens up new fields of interdisciplinary research,, thereby further strengthening the unique character of sustainability research at Lüneburg University. Until now it has been almost impossible to find a professorship devoted explicitlyy to renewable energy management and/or its embedding in the interdisciplinary research environment of sustainability. Such a professorship is to be regarded as an international innovation Requirements and thematic focus In the context of the reorientation of German policy toward energy system transformation, the impressive technical and economic development of Germann renewable energy providers, and the focus on sustainability pursued by Leuphanaa University of o Lüneburg, energy-related topics have become particularly important. Within the scope of the Innovation Incubatorr project, the advertised professorshipp allows Leuphana to contribute to the sustainable development of the city and region of Lüneburg L in the field of renewable r energy. Sustainability sciencee research addresses urgent global problems relating to environment and society. The research program underlying the advertised professorshipp aligns itself consistently with the normative guiding principle of sustainabilityy or sustainable development. When defining, identifying, analyzing and solving the complex problems concerned, this guiding principle holds the integration of social, ecological e and economic objectives at its center. In the research field itself, extensive research gaps have been identified which require profound scholarly review. For example, no profound and systematic scholarly review of o the topicss described has been conducted either in the fields of energy management or strategic management. This also means that a clear scholarly effort to distinguish this research field from related oness is still wanting. The inclusion, in the management of energy systems, of the aspects of sustainability andd region such as the foundation and development of companies and companyy networks and regional innovation i systems - represents a further development. This development is not only reflected in the conceptual extension and adaptation of scholarly constructs, but also requires the development of new fundamental scholarly constructs and instruments (of management). Therefore, the fundamental focus of the advertised professorship implies interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary access too the above-named fields Research contribution The professorship in Renewablee Energy Management is intended to t contributee to the profiling of sustainability sciences as a research focus by providing internationally recognized research. In addition it aims to promote regional development toward sustainability and sustainable structural change. The T holder 4

5 of the professorship is expected to provide innovative impetus for the methodological and conceptual development of the research field as well as fresh impetus for the Lüneburg region, whereby he or she takes an active role in shaping the international (scholarly) debate as well as the t regional economic and political debate. Within the scope of the advertisedd professorship, currentlyy existing approaches of o energy, technology, environment and sustainability management should be developed conceptually and in a scholarly manner; the same applies to analytical perspectives like the perspectives of sustainable entrepreneurship as well as network and structural management. Closee collaboration with otherr areas of the Sustainability Research initiative and the Innovation Incubator project is intendedd to position the t holder of the professorship even more clearly at an international level. In order to base his or her scholarly work on a solid theoretical foundation, the holder of the professorship will employ primarily managementt sciences approaches. It is also conceivable that he or she will establish innovative transdisciplinary connections between the methodological approaches of the natural and/or technical sciences and the social sciences, particularly sustainability management and the role of sustainable entrepreneurship. In keeping with the current state of the research field, research work must be underpinned by empirical research projects, accompanied byy a reflectionn on existing research methods appliedd in the research field. Due to the complexity of the topic, this is marked particularly by the use of case study methodology. This is where starting points for collaboration with holders of method-oriented research professorships in the focus area of sustainability sciences are created Teaching and transfer in the region The research-focused professorship in Renewable Energy Management involves no teaching obligation nor any academic lecturing. However, it providess stimulus for the regionn and for Leuphana University of Lüneburg through workshops, symposia and transfer seminars and, if possible, through third-party-funded applied research projects in collaboration withh regional, national and international enterprises as well as with researchers at Leuphana. In analogy and with reference to the t research focus, the holder of the professorship is expected to t provide high-quality academic transfer, which is conceptually challenging, methodologicallyy diverse, application- focused and empirically founded. 4. Equipment and allocation of funds The Visiting Professorr will be provided with an office equipped to a highh standard. Inn addition, he/she will have access to material resources and extensive funds for the establishment of a technical reference library. Each Professor will be provided with a research assistant based on 20 hourss per week. The project team of the sub-measure, consisting of 2.75 full-time positions, will provide p additional supportt with the integration into the EU project and the operational implementation of thee results mentioned above. There is an administrator in charge of office and financial management. 5

6 5. Employment criteria The profile for the Visiting Professor position can be summarized as follows: PhD in the relevant disciplines The position may be particularly interesting for senior professors on sabbatical or young high profile academics who currently are assistant professors or havee a related position The criteria for the appointment of professors according to the provisionss of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG) apply Proven track record of research in the Visiting Professor s given fields based on relevant publications Experience in knowledge transfer and/or non-university cooperation Willingness to be present in Lüneburg and the convergence region to fulfill the requirements of the professorshipp 6. Financing The (international) position of Visiting Researchh Professor is financed through funds from the EU Innovation Incubator project. The professorship will be financed for a maximum of 21 months. 7. Equal opportunities for male and female scholars The Leuphana University of Lüneburg sees the implementation of thee equal opportunities policy as an integral quality and profile element of teaching, research, transfer, organizational and personnel development. The Leuphana University of Lüneburg aims to increase the percentagee of female employees, and applications from women are therefore t particularly encouraged. 8. Employment The Visiting Professor position is available with immediate effect. The employmentt is not a civil service position. 9. Applications Applications should be sent to Dr. Petra Dehm, Project Management, Incubator Graduatee School, Scharnhorststr. 1, D Lüneburg/ /Germany. Please send applications to petra.dehm@inkubator.leuphana.de. The deadline for applications is Julyy 31,