The Research Group Socio-Ecological Systems and Design investigates the interdependencies of natural – social – technological systems to develop appropriate design competencies for future oriented thrivable ecologies. We work at the interface of science – humanities – engineering/design.
Biologists, economists, engineers, architects, designers, social scientists and philosophers are invited to start a conversation and to exchange individual tools, methodologies, material and ways of operating. We are looking for developing strategies and designing systems of design for a ‘theory and practice of Gestaltung’ in a newly framed environment. Instead of continuing parallel running research projects, we encourage researchers from science, humanities, economics, and engineering disciplines as well as practitioners to collaborate in a transdisciplinary process in order to decode and encode domain and discipline specific modes of working, to strengthen the involved disciplines.
Design (Gestaltung) is more than a human potential. All we as humans do or not do is Gestaltung. The Research Group conducts research that takes the complexity of ecological, social, and technological systems into account and extends the subject matter into the paradigm of design and Gestaltung as living and learning system.
Emerging interdisciplinary design approaches like Transformation Design have been associated with work within communities for socially progressive ends, but also with work within organizations to introduce human-centered design approaches. Research and practice have been related to the role and impact of organizational development, business model innovation, innovation ecosystems, creative communities and social innovation as well as in urban design and regional development, and even the wide debate on the redesign of public services and the welfare state.
Expertise beyond the designers is a requirement! Transformation design tackles large scale complex issues involving many stakeholders and components, and their interdependencies. Co-creative “design with” the system approaches informed by Evolutionary and Social Systems Design insights are applied in holistic, multi-stage, iterative processes to engage with the complex dynamic systems and their constantly arising novel and coherent structures, patterns and properties during the process of self-organization, called emergence.
The Research Group engages in
- Architecture and Spatial Design
- Biological, systemic and computational design strategies
- Urban design (e.g. sustainable urbanism, smart cognitive cities), and regional development
- Biodiversity, agriculture and rural development
- Designing and governing from biosphere reserves to nature sanctuaries
- Design of supply networks in public services (e.g. energy, water, traffic and public transport, information technologies and telecommunications, health care, and education infrastructures) and value networks in business services
- Designing Innovation and Business Ecosystems (cross-overs welcome)
- Designing research and development systems and governmental systems to address the challenges of future oriented thrivable ecologies.
Stefan Blachfellner is the Managing Director of the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (BCSSS) in Vienna, hosting the European Meetings on Cybernetics and Systems Research and the Circular Economy Forum Austria, a former Vice President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS), and former Vice President and General Secretary of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR). From 2016 to 2018 he was appointed as Special Adviser to the European Commissioner for Transport.
He has broad experience as an entrepreneur and business consultant, and has taught entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity and innovation management, future studies, and various systems theories at several universities and in professional management training programs in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France, Belgium, China and the USA.
His current projects are focused on the development of a General Systems Transdiscipline, Systems Design, Systemic Innovation and Impact Assessment to improve methods for addressing complex challenges towards the so called Next Economy, in particular the Circular Economy.
Stefan Blachfellner contribution to the new edition of the Newsweek Vantage on “How Global Business is Embracing the Circular Economy”
BCSSS Managing Director, Stefan Blachfellner, contributed to the newest edition of the Newsweek Vantage, dealing with the topic “Going Circular: How Global Business is Embracing the Circular Economy”. The BCSSS was included in the Newsweek edition as a Circular Economy Systems expert organisation. The Newsweek Vantage makes custom research the bedrock…
Last Call for the UNIVERSAL DESIGN competition 2019 and the START UP CHALLENGE 2019
Two more days to sign up for the Universal Design competition 2019. This week is your last chance to register for our unique UNIVERSAL DESIGN competition 2019 and become the Gold Award winner. Be part of the Munich Creative Business Week and present your idea, design, service or architecture to a consumer and…
Position Paper of the German Cultural Council on the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, with contribution of the Universal Design Forum e.V.
The German Cultural Council published a position paper dealing with the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The BCSSS partner Universal Design Forum e.V. (UDF) , directed by our BCSSS member Thomas Bade, contributed to the recently submitted paper.Together with other partners of the German Cultural Council the Universal Design…
Exploring the Future of Design, Service, Science and Systems together with designaustria
Stefan Blachfellner, Managing Director of the BCSSS, was invited by BCSSS Member and designaustria Board Member Martin Fössleitner to join the designaustria strategy workshop as participating innovation expert in January 2019, as a follow up of the designaustria 90th anniversary collaboration. Designaustria hosts a vast network of organisations and individuals…
On the way to the 8th European Environmental Program Action Paper – Catalysing a Just Transition to a One Planet Economy
On Monday, 10th of December, Stefan Blachfellner, Managing Director of the BCSSS, was invited to attend the first follow-up event by the Austrian Umweltdachverband (UWD, Environmental Umbrella Organisation) and the Europen Environment Bureau (EEB): Presentation and discussion of the 8th European Environmental Program Action Paper. The 8UAP Action Paper is…
Ethical Challenges in the context of Responsible Innovation and Artificial Intelligence
BCSSS Managing Director Stefan Blachfellner followed a personal invitation of a. Prof. Dr. André Martinuzzi to the event “#Think Tank Responsible Innovation 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence – Ethical Challenges for Enterprises dealing with Artificial Intelligence” which was organized by respACT and the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna) in…
Innovation in Government – Behavioural Insights and Systems Thinking for Policy Making – an Invitation from the OECD
Stefan Blachfellner, BCSSS Managing Director, followed the personal invitation of The Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) to the ‘Innovation in Government: Steps, leaps and bounds’ Conference, on 19th and 20th November 2018 in Paris, France at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OPSI convened…
The BCSSS co-hosted the Disruptive Innovation Festival 2018
The BCSSS co-hosted, together with the Circular Economy Club Vienna (CEC), the Disruptive Innovation Festival 2018 (DIF) in Vienna. The DIF is the world’s largest online festival of ideas, organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It is part of a global initiative, where events are taking place at different spots throughout…