Karl Schlecht Foundation establishes professorship for Governance of Energy and Infrastructure at the Hertie School

Berlin, 7 June 2013 – A professorship in “Governance of Energy and Infrastructure” will be established at the Hertie School in Berlin, in cooperation with the Karl Schlecht Foundation. The professorship will focus on governance challenges relating to transitions in the Energy sector among other topics, and grapple with accompanying infrastructural planning. The Karl Schlecht Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Aichtal near Stuttgart. The foundation and the Hertie School strive for promoting practically oriented research and teaching in this central, yet hereto under-researched area by means of the above-mentioned professorship, which at this stage is intended to run for five years. The recruitment committee at the Hertie School will take on this work shortly.

“From a technical perspective, the reorganisation of the Energy sector would be possible almost without any problems. However, there is a huge lack in comprehensive understanding of the related governance difficulties that pose a big – if not the biggest – challenge for politics, the economy, and society. This is likewise true for many international issues in the Energy and Infrastructure sector,” says Professor Helmut K. Anheier, the Hertie School Dean. “We are very proud to have found a dedicated and forward thinking partner and sponsor in the Karl Schlecht Foundation, that acknowledges the critical nature of this subject.”

The Karl Schlecht Foundation explains further: “To handle the Energy transition successfully not only on a technological but also a societal level, while maintaining our standard of living -    – that is, employment, power supply, and mobility – requires innovative research projects. The Hertie School with its intersectoral approach is the ideal partner for us in addressing these challenges.  We hope for synergistic effects from working with the Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production at Stuttgart University, which is co-funded by us, and which above all researches the technical side of Energy efficiency in the production industry.

The professorship, “Governance of Energy and Infrastructure” is the third partner-funded professorship at the Hertie School, following “Public and Financial Management” professorship funded by KPMG as well as the professorship for E-Governance and Innovation funded by the ]init[ AG.