After its launch in 2017, the Science & Research hub helped promote a rigorous scientific foundation for the Economy for the Common Good. One of the ways to do it is through a collaborative ecosystem where higher education researchers can advance the discipline through evidence-based discourse.
The hub was responsible for successfully organizing three ECOnGOOD International Conferences and it is committed to the next one that will take place in June of 2026. The conference will take place in Amberg, Germany, from June 10th until the 12th. Registrations are open.
“The last edition in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, in 2024, was resounding sucess in terms of both quality of contributions and the participants engagement. This year, with the excellent support of the hosting consortium (OTH Amberg-Wieden, University of West Bohemia and BayZEN), we aim for even greater impact. The quality of papers improves with every edition as more researchers and practitioners discover ECOnGOOD. We are confident that the participants will gain valuable insights, feedback, sparking a lot of collaboration opportunities. This is our goal: to encourage academics and practitioners from different disciplines researching for common good to collaborate and enhance the scientific foundations of the economic model”, shares José Carlos Ramos, coordinator of the S&R hub.
One example of this work is the publication of a Positive Impact Plan (PIP) in Open Science Repository. This is an important tool that provides the structure needed so new business initiatives can ensure profitability while promoting impact purpose and sustainability at the core of the business strategy. This is connected to the transparency pillar promoted by the Economy for the Common Good, alongside human dignity, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
As an international hub, it engages an open community of academics and global network where collaborations thrive. Over 100 members, including researchers and professors from 20 different countries are integrated into the network. The department has also facilitated interest-matching for 20 research projects involving students, lectures, and practitioners, of at an institutional level. “It is vital to consolidate this scientific ground, the common denominator for various approaches contributing to the Economy for the Common Good framework. Many researches and lecturers realize that their work is part of the model, as they aligned with the same principles and values. Name it sustainability, wellbeing, or post GDP metrics, it is inherently part of it”, explains José Carlos Ramos.
2025 was a special year for the S&R hub and has set the ground for the year ahead. Help us continue creating these vital spaces for dialogue and transformative change, and to support our ongoing work toward building an Economy for the Common Good.
