WISSENSCHAFTSLADEN BONN EV

Their core work

Wissenschaftsladen Bonn (Wila Bonn) is a German "Science Shop" — a civil society organization that bridges the gap between scientific research and the public. They specialize in designing and running participatory engagement formats such as science cafés, exhibitions, living labs, and co-creation workshops that bring citizens, researchers, and communities together around societal challenges. Their work focuses on making complex topics like bioeconomy, climate adaptation, and food security accessible and actionable for non-expert audiences, while feeding community knowledge back into the research process.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Wila Bonn focused on broad pan-European science communication formats — exhibitions, science cafés, science shops — and on embedding community knowledge exchange into higher education curricula. From 2017 onward, their work shifted toward more applied, place-based engagement: co-creation in living labs, climate adaptation at the territorial level, and bioeconomy awareness with transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary methods. The move from general science communication to targeted co-creation on specific societal challenges (climate, bioeconomy) marks a clear maturation of their approach.

They are moving from broad science communication toward place-based, co-creative approaches to specific sustainability challenges — making them a strong fit for mission-oriented EU programmes focused on climate and the Green Deal.

How they like to work

Wila Bonn operates primarily as an active partner (5 of 6 projects), stepping into the coordinator role once with TeRRIFICA, their largest project (EUR 610K). With 90 unique partners across 33 countries, they maintain a wide and non-repetitive network, suggesting they are sought after for their specific public engagement expertise rather than relying on a fixed circle. Their consistent presence in Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) means they are the go-to partner when a consortium needs professional public engagement and citizen participation design.

Wila Bonn has worked with 90 unique partners across 33 countries, indicating a truly pan-European network with no strong geographic bias. Their reach spans Western, Eastern, and Southern Europe — a valuable asset for any consortium needing broad geographic coverage for citizen engagement activities.

What sets them apart

Wila Bonn brings something most research consortia lack: professional capacity to design and deliver genuine public participation — not token dissemination, but structured co-creation that feeds community insights back into research. As a Science Shop with decades of experience, they understand both the academic and the civil society side, making them an effective translator between researchers and citizens. For any consortium that needs to demonstrate meaningful societal engagement (increasingly required in Horizon Europe missions), they are one of Germany's most experienced partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TeRRIFICA
  Their only coordinated project and largest budget (EUR 610K), applying living labs to climate adaptation — signals their strategic priority and growing leadership ambition.
• SPARKS
  Pan-European exhibition and science café programme delivered through science centres and museums across multiple countries, demonstrating large-scale public engagement capability.
• BLOOM
  Combined arts, transdisciplinary research, and formal education to raise bioeconomy awareness — their most methodologically diverse project.