21.11.2025
How can an entire region be made sustainable when the energy transition is bringing about so many changes – such as new wind turbines and hydrogen technologies? This is the question being addressed by the new junior research group “KoReGio100,” which has now begun its work in the so-called “Clean Energy Valley” in Schleswig-Holstein. The Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is one of the three project partners. The junior research group is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) for five years.
A region in transition: developing solutions together
The cities of Heide, Rendsburg, Neumünster, and Kiel, as well as their surrounding communities, want to become an important location for the further processing of renewable energies in Europe with the “Clean Energy Valley” initiative. But change brings not only opportunities, but also new challenges: Who will be allowed to use which areas in the future? How can the region remain livable for everyone? And where exactly should the journey take us? This is where the KoReGio100 junior research group comes in. It is setting up a so-called real-world laboratory – a place where research and practice work hand in hand. The aim is to work with people from the region to find ways of better integrating urban and rural areas – in a sustainable, fair and open-minded way.
“At ZALF, we are investigating how social conflicts arising around Clean Energy Valley can be addressed,” explains Dr. Meike Fienitz, who heads the junior research group together with Dr. Katrin Martens from Humboldt University in Berlin. “It is crucial that local people can actively participate in shaping the future – that's why we are taking a co-design approach.”
What other regions can learn from KoReGio100
The junior research group is not only developing solutions for Clean Energy Valley – it also wants to find out how such changes can be effectively supported in other regions. To this end, the team is developing new tools and methods to reconcile social, ecological, and economic interests. What makes KoReGio100 special is that it links various topics – from environmental protection and social participation to the regional economy. The results should therefore also help municipalities, companies, and initiatives facing similar challenges.
What happens with the new knowledge?
Over the next five years, the team wants to develop concrete recommendations for practical application:
How can municipalities better organize participation? What strategies help to reduce tensions? And how can such processes be supported in the long term? One thing is already clear: the energy transition will only succeed if it is not imposed on people, but is shaped jointly.
BMFTR junior research groups
BMFTR junior research groups are teams of young scientists who have particularly innovative ideas and are allowed to research a topic on their own responsibility – usually immediately after completing their doctorates. The aim is to bring fresh impetus to research while at the same time further developing their own scientific careers.
Note on the text:
This is a summary created with the help of artificial intelligence based on information provided about the KoReGio100 junior research group.
The text has been carefully reviewed and revised in accordance with the AI regulations at ZALF.
Project partners
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Funding information
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the Social-Ecological Research (SÖF) funding concept.
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BMFTR junior research group “KoReGio100” launches real-world laboratory in northern Germany. Picture was created with ChatGPT 5.0 and has been carefuly revised with regard to the internal ZALF AI guideline.
