structural development

Ciao Clara! We'll meet Again!

After more than three successful years in the innovation team of the ENO Structural Change Taskforce, our project and innovation manager Clara Hartung has taken a new career step. Since August 1st She is the “Lead Coordinator of the Lausitz Campus” for the TU Dresden. We spoke to her about her more than three successful years at ENO and explained why and how she remains involved in structural development in Lusatia.

Congratulations on your new management position, dear Clara! We will miss you! But we are happy that you will stay with us right around the corner from our ENO headquarters on Elisabethplatz in Görlitz. One of your offices will be in the post office at Postplatz. And the topics that you have already worked on in the task force - science and research here in the unaffordable country - will remain with you and us...

Clara, you are from Berlin , lived in Saarland, observed the structural change there and “ International Management” with a focus on regional economics at the IHI Zittau and defended your master’s degree as a project manager at ENO. You contributed your knowledge in many areas to the reorientation of the Görlitz district “after coal” - especially in the areas of research and development, as well as in the Innovation Challenges , where you worked as a coach, among other things. You were also involved in the deliberations and workshops for the Jonsdorf ice rink citizen participation formats . Please explain to us how you found working as an innovation and project manager in the Inno team, and also why innovation is so important, especially for our changing district.

Clara Hartung: My topics were primarily research and development. I designed, organized and implemented the Hall of Science, Innovation and Research at the Insider Meeting 2023 together with many strong partners. The hall was very successful. There I was able to successfully present the extremely extensive and diverse research landscape and the associated future prospects on the job market to the district's students. And that will continue to be my topic, but I am expanding my work to include the entire Lusatia. I will focus on this area and actively shape the research activities in Lusatia and, above all, the implementation of the activities in the region so that it can also benefit from them.

Happy astrophysicists after the announcement of the award for the DZA in Görlitz - Clara advised them

“The German Center for Astrophysics would like to come to the region and would be happy to receive support in applying for funding - Clara Hartung, would that be a project for you?” asked our managing director Sven Mimus in one of our team meetings around two years ago. The DZA is now an integral part of the noticeable structural development in the region with international appeal. The federal ideas competition “ Knowledge creates perspectives for the region ” wanted to support structural change in the Lusatian and Central German regions with two large research centers. You supported the respective project sponsors in developing the concepts and regional adaptation so that the future large-scale research center can also be an added value for the region and the people living here. Please tell us a little about the history of the project – and the successful settlement:

Clara Hartung: The DZA is also a project from the TU Dresden and is part of the Lausitz campus . I supported this project in its early days and will now also support it in the difficult and important part of building and gaining acceptance in society. Even if it is not obvious at first glance, many examples show that astronomical research can have a lasting impact on regions. With its unique combination of research and development in digital science, sensor technology and materials research and the need for manufacturing facilities, the DZA will provide economic stimulus in Lusatia and create at least 3,000 sustainable jobs at the center and in its surroundings.

At that time, Clara reported on her consultations in the UBL blog 

An important topic that you have worked on intensively recently is local supply, which is also the subject of the upcoming Lausitz Café on September 9th. will give. The problem of local supply is also important from a structural change perspective in a large but not densely populated district like ours. Can you tell us something about your research results and solutions for the sometimes sparse local supplies in the more remote areas of the district?

Yes, we have created and have just published the “ Handbook on Local Supply ” - it is a first step for regional actors to deal with the issue of local supply and will hopefully lead to greater awareness of regional offers and, in the best case scenario, to action. It's a collaboration with Gründerschiff UG and it turned out really nice.

"The last project for the ENO turned out really nice" - here are the illustrations from the handbook on local supplies, which Clara was in charge of for the ENO/Taskforce. You can download the detailed shortened here .

Can you tell us something about your new activities or how you will incorporate your previous experiences into your new work? It's about social change, digitalization, circular economy, energy and mobility - as is the case with us in the task force...

I was in contact with many stakeholders from the Görlitz district who repeatedly informed us of their various needs. I would like to do justice to these in my new position and work to ensure that the research activities also benefit the local region and that local companies are involved. I would like to continue to work on issues such as local supply and give them the necessary attention. Of course, I would like to continue to work with ENO and TaFo and continue to supervise projects - just as a project partner.

Dear Clara, thank you very much for the conversation - we wish you all the best and will stay in touch (and are also very happy about one or two guest author texts from you ;-) here on our UBL blog.

Cover photo: Clara with colleagues Saskia Brosius (left), Lisa Graen and Laura Horst at the team day at the Boxberg power plant - on the right you can see her with Saskia Brosius at the Innovation Challenge Dresden