Apr 27, 2022
6th RTG Spring Colloquium with a guest lecture by Dr. Wjinand Veeneman (TU Delft)
On April 25th and 26th, 2022, the third generation of the Boysen TUD Research Training Group, the new scholarship holders from the interdisciplinary projects, the board, as well as supervisors met for this year's internal spring colloquium. This time, the group met in the historic ballroom of the Hülsse building at the TU Dresden, which originally served as a chapel until it was used as a reading room by the economics library in the early 1990s. Architecturally, the ballroom provided a unique location for the 2-day event.
After more than 3 years of intensive research work, which was often challenging given the changing corona restrictions, the colleagues of the 3rd generation of the RTG presented the results they had worked out so far with the associated methodology, for which they received feedback and questions from the other participants. They were also able to define the complex research questions within their project in connection with the cluster. Which project goals were achieved, what are the work steps remaining as we approach the end of the funding phase? These and many other questions were examined during the spring colloquium. The majority of the fellows are already working on their dissertations. The four fellows of the bridging projects leading to the next generation of the Group were also given the opportunity to present themselves and their planned research projects. In exchange, they received experience and advice from their colleagues, which has been funded since 2019. The first day of the event ended successfully with a joint dinner in a convivial atmosphere.
Thanks to mild temperatures, the garden of the restaurant could also be used.
On the second day of the event, further lectures by the fellows were heard before the board members of the Boysen TUD Research Training Group met for a board meeting.
Particular attention was paid to the guest lecture by Dr. Wijnand Veeneman on the evening of 4/26/22. Dr. Veeneman is Associate Professor of Organization and Management at Delft University of Technology (RTG reported).
Dr. Veeneman during his lecture
In his presentation entitled “The Merger of Energy, Mobility, and Data – The growing need for cooperative governance for future infrastructure”, Dr. Veeneman focused on the question of how different infrastructure sectors, in particular transport, energy and data, can be viewed holistically and information silos can be broken down. In today's world, these infrastructures should no longer be handled separately, which is made clear by the example of electromobility: parked battery electric vehicles can have a grid-friendly effect through so-called peak shaving, i.e. the cushioning of peak loads in the energy grid. Another project presented aims to charge parked battery electric vehicles by recuperating energy from decelerating trains. Research into such interdependencies and raising synergy effects is the core of his work. He pleaded for a paradigm shift away from thinking in "boxes" and towards considering the respective "interfaces". This requires interdisciplinary thinking and working as well as the design of regulatory framework conditions that provide the right incentives for this system-of-systems approach.
Dr. Veeneman and Prof. Günther
Dr. Veeneman's lecture was also part of the research colloquium of the Faculty of Economics, moderated by Prof. Edeltraud Günther and Prof. Lutz Hagen, and was a joint project of the Research Training Group and the faculty.
The days of the event were characterized by constructive exchange and valuable catalysts for further project work. Thanks to everyone involved!