A first brainstorming workshop of the ECONtribute Network was held in February 2017 in order to explore potential fields of collaboration between researchers and policy makers. The workshop was hosted by the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin.
The ECONtribute Network promotes interactions between researchers and policy makers, with knowledge being exchanged in both directions. The Network is an integral part of the proposed Cluster of Excellence “ECONtribute: Markets and Public Policy“, a joint initiative by the Universities of Bonn and Cologne.
In addition to participants from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, the workshop was attended by high-level representatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Competition Authority, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Deutsche Bundesbank, as well as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The workshop was very well received by the participants and helped to detect useful areas of interaction.