{"id":470,"date":"2018-06-27T09:51:32","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T07:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ils-forschung.de\/networks\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T13:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T11:12:42","slug":"networks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ils-forschung.de\/en\/networks\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Network"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a9 ILS \/ Roland Fechter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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For spatial urban research to be socially and trans-regionally relevant, it has to be positioned in international research debates and conduct comparative regional research. The ILS is actively involved in numerous inter- and transdisciplinary research networks and maintains national and international cooperative relationships with universities and non-university research institutions, as well as with academic organisations, professional associations, foundations and leading experts and institutions from the fields of spatial science, politics and society.<\/p>\n

What do we do specifically? The ILS is a founding member of the Johannes-Rau-Research Association<\/a> (JRF) and is committed to non-university research in NRW. We are actively involved in the spatial science network \u2018Spatial Knowledge for Society and the Environment \u2013 Leibniz R<\/a>\u2019 as well as in further regional, national and international collaborations and networks. We consider ourselves to be a hub for spatial science research in NRW, Germany and Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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<\/i><\/i><\/span>International Networks<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
At the European and international level, the ILS collaborates on a project basis with numerous universities and non-university research institutes. These primarily include EU-funded research projects as well as topic-specific collaborations on socio-spatial inequality research, urban open space development, reurbanisation, planning culture, and migration research.<\/p>\n

Formalised cooperation agreements are in place with the University of Missouri-St. Louis<\/a> (USA), Portland State University<\/a> (USA), the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research<\/a> (Switzerland) and the Institute for Urban and Regional Research (ISR) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (\u00d6AW)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the ILS is a member of international networks such as AESOP<\/a>, EURA<\/a>, UERA<\/a>, ENHR<\/a> etc.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>National Networks<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
Of particular importance for our research in a national context are our cooperative relationships with regionally based universities. For a long time, institutional collaboration agreements have existed with TU Dortmund University<\/a>, Ruhr University Bochum<\/a>, the University of Bonn<\/a>, the University of M\u00fcnster<\/a> and RWTH Aachen University<\/a>. In addition to the close cooperation in research, teaching and the promotion of young researchers, three joint appointments have been established with the Faculty of Spatial Planning<\/a> at TU Dortmund University and the Faculties of Architecture<\/a> and Georesources and Materials Engineering<\/a> at RWTH Aachen University. In addition, the ILS is active in the Competence Field of Metropolitan Research<\/a> of the University Alliance Ruhr.<\/p>\n

Within the framework of the spatial science networks and subject areas, the professional exchange with the spatial science institutes of the Leibniz Association (Leibniz R<\/a>) is of particular importance in order to make spatial science expertise visible nationally and to bundle it synergistically.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Regional Networks<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
The ILS is a founding member of the Johannes-Rau-Research Foundation<\/a> (JRF). The close link between basic research and application orientation as well as the aim of researching in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner in order to develop knowledge for current social issues and challenges in an active dialogue with politics, specialist practice and the public are of particular concern to the Johannes Rau Research Association and the ILS.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the ILS is actively involved in interdisciplinary specialist activities on a regional scale. Special attention is paid to the Ruhr area as an (inter)national reference area for post-industrial urban spaces and structural change. Our most important cooperation networks in the regional context include:<\/p>\n