National and European higher education policy and international accreditation institutions increasingly require universities to demonstrate their impact. The WU wants to meet these growing information needs. Therefore, the Institute for Managing Sustainability has surveyed the social contributions of research at the WU for the first time. By publishing the impacts of its research, the WU wants to present its contribution to the outside world, while at the same time raising awareness of its impacts within the university in order to better align research with societal needs. The approach uses concrete examples to show how research contributions can be recorded and communicated. The approach and the results have now been published in a brochure.

The brochure illustrates 30 concerte examples how research at the WU actually impacts society. For example, it contributes to improving economic conditions by reducing credit risks in the euro currency area and optimizing tax laws. It also creates the necessary conditions for digitization, for example by promoting privacy in the digital world and making Open Data accessible to everyone through new quality assurance systems. The brochure also illustrates WU's contributions to solving pressing environmental and social challenges. Researchers develop the foundations for policies that reduce poverty and resource consumption and contribute to climate protection by designing emissions trading. In addition, some projects have a direct impact on our everyday lives, for example by designing barrier-free transportation systems for the inclusion of people with disabilities.

As a responsible university, the WU wants to continue to raise awareness of their effects and strengthen its contribution to social development. The brochure can be found here.