Berlin ecological economics institute specialising in socio-economic valuation of ecosystem services, energy transition governance, and soil biodiversity policy.
IOW (Institut für Ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung) is a Berlin-based ecological economics research institute that specializes in the intersection of environmental science and economic analysis. Their core work involves translating complex ecological dynamics — soil health, energy systems, biodiversity — into socio-economic and policy-relevant terms that decision-makers can act on. In H2020 projects, they bring a distinct competence in socio-economic valuation, well-being assessment, and stakeholder-inclusive research design, helping consortia understand the human and economic dimensions of environmental challenges. They function as the "economics and society" voice in science-heavy consortia, bridging natural science findings with governance, business model, and behavioral change implications.
In SOILGUARD (2021–2025), IOW contributes socio-economic and socio-cultural valuation of soil-mediated ecosystem services, directly linking biodiversity outcomes to human well-being metrics.
In PROSEU (2018–2021), IOW analysed the economics and governance of energy prosumerism — households and communities that both produce and consume energy — as part of the broader citizen energy transition.
SOILGUARD addresses land degradation and climate change stressors on soil biodiversity, with IOW providing the socio-economic framing needed to translate soil science into actionable policy and business practice.
PROSEU focused on mainstreaming active citizen participation in the EU energy transition, an area where IOW's participatory and governance expertise is central.
Well-being appears as a keyword in SOILGUARD, indicating IOW is extending its valuation methods into broader quality-of-life frameworks beyond conventional economic indicators.
IOW's first H2020 project (PROSEU, 2018) was rooted in energy systems and the social economics of the energy transition — a topic closely aligned with EU energy policy priorities of that period. By 2021, with SOILGUARD, they shifted into the soil-biodiversity-agriculture space, applying their socio-economic valuation toolkit to a very different environmental domain. This shift suggests IOW is deliberately expanding their methodological approach (ecological economics, socio-cultural valuation, well-being assessment) across new environmental sectors rather than deepening a single one — a generalist trajectory that follows EU funding priorities toward biodiversity and land use.
IOW is moving toward natural capital accounting and biodiversity economics, positioning themselves at the intersection of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Farm-to-Fork agenda — areas with strong funding momentum through 2030.
IOW participates exclusively as a consortium partner and has not led any H2020 projects, which is typical for a policy-oriented research institute that contributes specialized socio-economic expertise rather than technical project coordination. Their participation in two projects spanning 37 unique partners across 19 countries indicates they are comfortable operating in large, multi-disciplinary consortia where they play a well-defined analytical role. They are likely sought out to add the economics, governance, or societal-impact dimension to consortia led by natural scientists or engineers.
IOW has built connections with 37 unique partners across 19 countries through just two projects — a notably broad geographic spread for such a small project portfolio. This suggests their two consortia were large, pan-European RIA projects, which is consistent with the Horizon 2020 RIA format both projects used.
IOW occupies a rare niche: they are one of the few SME-scale research institutes in Germany dedicated specifically to ecological economics, giving them the intellectual flexibility of an independent think tank with the agility of a small organisation. Unlike university departments, they are not constrained by academic silos, which allows them to combine economic analysis, governance research, and participatory methods in a single team. For consortia that need the "society and economy" work package covered by a credible, independent, Berlin-based research voice, IOW is a distinctive choice.
