3 4 I N A KT I O N “We are living in an era of growing and interconnected crises of an ecological, political, social and economic nature.” students can attend the lecture,” the sociologist explains, climbing up onto a chair to reach the beam- er. “There’s a cable missing here.” Less than three hours later, she will be chairing a virtual meeting of G7 representatives, giving some advice to one of her ten PhD students and then taking part in a coaching seminar for managers. The DAAD alumna has been the director of the German Institute of Development and Sustainabil- ity (IDOS), formally known as the German Develop- ment Institute (DIE), as well as a professor of global sustainable development at the University of Bonn, since 2020. While at university, she spent several pe- riods of time abroad on a DAAD scholarship. “These stays had a considerable influence on me,” she says. To this day, exchange plays an important role in her work. “In my research, I explore how knowledge is produced and disseminated, and what role different forms of knowledge play in tackling global challeng- es.” She looks at global megatrends such as the cli- mate crisis or species extinction, and considers how Germany could contribute to overcoming these cri- ses. “We are living in an era of interconnected crises of an ecological, political, social and economic nature. These crises can only be managed through transna- tional collaboration,” the sociologist explains. She will also be discussing with her students today what is important in this context. Hornidge reports that many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America criticise how Europe and North America dictate how the transition to sustainability should Mehr über Professorin Anna-Katharina Hornidge und ihre Arbeit finden Sie auf unserem Videokanal. Get to know Professor Anna-Katharina Hornidge in this video and accompany her during a day’s work. SCAN ME www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wo_ihpOdbZw take place, complaining that they themselves have too little say in the matter. “We must engage in joint discussions about global crises, and take decisions together. Many representatives of these countries rightly say: ‘If you want cooperation, then let it be on an equal footing’.” IDOS brings research, policy advice and training together International cooperation on a level playing field is also the top priority at IDOS. Based in the UN city of Bonn, the institute is one of the world’s leading think tanks for global sustainable development. “We study a very broad spectrum of topics: the forms taken by different political regimes, migration and conflict research, global trade systems, climate, biodiversity and marine policy, and water manage- ment. And our goal is always to provide scientific support for processes of transition towards greater sustainability,” explains the IDOS director. There is even a dedicated department at IDOS that explores knowledge collaborations, focusing on the multilat- eral system. The same department is also home to the IDOS post-graduate programme, which prepares master’s graduates for a career in international co- operation. “We are a research institution and think tank. That is important, for on the one hand we run long-term empirically based research projects, and on the other, we are always looking for ways to pack- age our research findings into policy advice formats. We want our research to have decision-making rel- evance,” says Hornidge, placing her bike helmet on her desk and sitting down behind it. The shelf on the wall contains numerous books about Singapore – a country that made a lasting impression on her when she spent time there on a DAAD scholarship. There is also a photograph of Hornidge – next to Chancellor Olaf Scholz – tak- ing part in Think7 talks at the Federal Chancellery. Think7 is a group of leading think tanks from G7 countries that jointly develop research-based policy recommendations to support the G7 presi dency. During Germany’s G7 presidency in 2022, IDOS, together with the Global Solutions Initiative, was tasked by the Chancellery with chairing the process. “Think7 brings over 300 scientists and academ- ics from different disciplines together to develop concrete and sustainable action recommendations for international policy. Today we will be handing Think7 over to Japan, which will hold the G7 pres- idency in 2023,” says the IDOS director, getting the virtual meeting underway without further ado. Letter 02/22