Gerald Steiner elected to the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities

Gerald Steiner, Professor of Organizational Communication and Innovation at the University for Continuing Education Krems, has been elected a corresponding member of the Technical Sciences Class of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig. The election is regarded as a significant academic distinction recognizing internationally visible research achievements.

The Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig is one of the most distinguished and long-established scholarly institutions in the German-speaking world and has counted more than 20 Nobel laureates among its members, including Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg. It brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines and promotes interdisciplinary exchange on key societal and scientific issues. Election to the Academy is by nomination only and is reserved for scholars with outstanding academic achievements.

Research at the intersection of complex systems

Gerald Steiner’s research lies at the intersection of innovation, communication, and sustainability, with a particular focus on complex societal challenges. His work centers on the dynamics of innovation systems and on how science, business, and society can jointly develop solutions to global future challenges.

In the context of the Academy’s Technical Sciences Class, it is particularly noteworthy that Gerald Steiner conducts research on mineral and critical raw materials and is also a member of the United Nations’ Expert Group on Resource Management. His work focuses on understanding complex system interdependencies along global supply chains and on developing sustainable future scenarios.

In this context, he addresses key challenges such as food security and the role of strategic resources including phosphorus, sulfur, uranium, nickel, and cobalt. This is also reflected in the activities of the International Raw Materials Institute (IRMI), which he heads and which is part of the “Research Lab for Global Futures and Complex Systems,” also led by Steiner at the University for Continuing Education Krems.

Internationally connected, academically recognized

Steiner has many years of international experience in research and teaching, for example as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, where he also served as Schumpeter Professor. He is involved in numerous international research initiatives and is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, engaging in areas such as sustainability, resource security, and transdisciplinary knowledge integration.

Steiner views his election to the Saxon Academy as confirmation of his research:
“Complex global challenges, with their many regional and local interdependencies, can only be addressed through new forms of collaboration across disciplines and institutions,” says Steiner. “Major challenges related to critical raw materials, supply chains, and security of supply can only be tackled systemically and collectively. The Academy provides a central platform for exchange and joint shaping of solutions to these and many other complex challenges of our time.”