ZMT - Leibniz Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung

Transdisciplinary research requires engagement of relevant actors from governments, industry, and civil society, in order to find solutions for urgent sustainability problems.

The Office for Knowledge Exchange (OKE) was established in 2014 as a permanent hub to facilitate cooperation with non-scientific stakeholders from the tropics and Germany. Knowledge exchange is understood as the systematic, problem-oriented, and continuous exchange of data, information, technology, and knowledge by engaging stakeholders from different sectors on an eye level early during and beyond research projects, to merge science and practical contexts, and to fulfil the mission of ZMT. The OKE aims to

• initiate transdisciplinary dialogue and engage stakeholders within ZMT projects,
• develop ZMT capacities to work at the science-stakeholder interface,
• advise ZMT projects on transdisciplinary activities at the proposal, project, and post-project stage,
• develop standards, capacity and new formats for knowledge exchange,
• and share experiences and concepts with partners and networks.

You can find more information about knowledge exchange with our priority stakeholder groups:

• Policy
• Industry
• (Civil) Society

We never work alone. You can find more information about our great partners, networks and cooperative projects here:

• Development cooperation
• List of Partners and Networks
• ZMT Alumni
• Future Earth Coast (FEC)
• International Ocean Institute (IOI)

Resources for knowledge exchange at ZMT

• Transfer Strategy
• Stakeholder Engagement Guide
• Infosheet - Stakeholder Engagement Tools
• Infosheet - How to organize a Stakeholder Workshop (internal document)
• Infosheet - How to write a Policy Brief
• ZMT Fact Sheet Series

Resources for technology transfer at ZMT

Find information about Consultancies, Agreements, Inventions, Patents, Licences, Spin-Offs, etc. here: Manual Technology Transfer at ZMT (internal document)

Bremen Criteria (Bremer Kriterien): Our partnership approach

ZMT conducts research projects in close cooperation with the partners from the tropics. In order to provide a clear guidance to these projects to implement the cooperation goals, ZMT has developed specific criteria. These "Bremen Criteria" contribute to meeting the scientific and developmental needs of the tropical partner countries by promoting the establishment of long-term projects with intensive involvement of partner scientists and unrestricted exchange of data and information. Download the Bremen Criteria here.

You may also find Stakeholder Publications on this site in the menu bar under “publications”.