BETTER Life Project (BETTER Life Project) 09/2022-09/2025

In recent years, it has become apparent that there is a great need for improved communication and collaboration between research, politics, business, and social actors. Furthermore, it has become clear that interest in interdisciplinary research aimed at addressing various global social challenges is steadily growing. We are attempting to address this interface through the BETTER Life project, focusing primarily on so-called ‘Early Career Researchers (ECR)’ – i.e., PhD students and graduates, as well as young researchers at the beginning of their careers. We believe that particularly young researchers have great potential to break down traditional barriers to academic research and align their research more closely with the needs of society.

The BETTER Life project aims to generate the necessary structures and initiate processes through close collaboration with relevant civil, business, and political actors to build individual, inter-institutional, and regional capacities to cooperatively address a wide range of regional and supra-regional societal challenges. To this end, we will also generate a variety of guidelines and information documents to equip all stakeholders with the necessary knowledge. As part of this process, Digital Centers of Excellence will be established in the project’s partner regions. These centers will serve as contact points for young researchers, supporting them in shaping socially engaged research.