The transfer of our research results and the exchange with politics, business, civil society groups and the general public are of great importance to us.
Knowledge Transfer, Advice and Services
The Institute understands knowledge transfer as an exchange between the academic community and societal stakeholders. In addition to academics, political and business representatives, ministries, regulatory agencies and self-regulatory bodies, our target audiences include journalists as well as parents and teachers, for example, in the context of media education issues, and other civil society organisations.
We make it our mission to assess the practical relevance of the findings developed in our projects, communicating them in a manner tailored to each target group. For larger projects, the Institute publishes the results in reports and articles for the scientific community, as well as in accessible summaries for the general public.
New Program Area to Promote Knowledge Transfer
The particular importance that the HBI attaches to knowledge transfer has been reflected since 2026 in Program Area 3, “Science Communication, Agile Formats, and Library Services.” This program area provides services for the Institute’s researchers, its external network of collaborators and stakeholders, and the interested public.
Many of the institute’s projects already incorporate—to varying degrees—elements of knowledge transfer and exchange from the very outset. In close collaboration with the scientific program areas, the team designs and organizes agile formats that combine scientific expertise, interdisciplinary exchange, and societal transfer. The goal is to make our scientific findings accessible to various target groups, including the academic community as well as stakeholders from politics, the (media) industry, civil society, and the professional field.
In addition to our website, which documents all relevant activities and publications, we use our social media channels on LinkedIn and BlueSky to communicate our research findings.
In the BredowCast, a monthly audio podcast, Kristina Kobrow talks with rotating guests to provide insights into the research topics at the institute and the day-to-day lives of the researchers. On the Media Research Blog, the institute’s researchers blog about topics in communication studies and media law.
Events
We present and discuss our research findings at numerous events aimed at various target audiences. We also develop projects and events in collaboration with non-academic institutions. This ensures that the findings are applicable to real-world contexts while enabling the institute to better fulfill its commitment to problem-oriented research. Examples include the media symposia regularly held in collaboration with the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein Media Authority and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, which are developed jointly by the organizers and consistently attract over 200 participants.
Press Inquiries: Employees in the Media
The Institute’s Science Communication Team responds to inquiries from journalists and connects them with contacts within and outside the Institute. They often provide expert analysis of current media trends in interviews for television, radio, online platforms, and print media. They also frequently engage in background discussions with editorial offices, news agencies, and associations.
The employees are also available to answer questions about literature and factual information, serve as speakers, and provide advice on research topics. This type of “informal” service is frequently used by the Institute’s target groups and heavily relied upon by journalists.
Service for the Scientific Community: Journal “Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft”
The academic journal “Medien & Kommunikationswissenschaft” (M&K, Media & Communication Science) has been published by the Institute since 1953 (until the end of 1999 under the name “Rundfunk und Fernsehen“) and has been published quarterly by Nomos-Verlag, Baden-Baden, in open access since 2021.
Editorial supervision is carried out by the editorial staff of the HBI; the Institute does not receive any subsidies for this.
The journal follows the double blind peer review standard. Since 2008, M&K has been one of the three journals whose subscription is included in the membership fee of the German Association for Journalism and Communication Studies.
Library
The Institute’s library – one of the most important specialist libraries for media/media research in northern Germany – has over 32,500 volumes in its collection. This book collection is supplemented by an extensive journal section containing both German-language and foreign specialist journals as well as press and information services on the aforementioned research areas. A much-used rarity is the program magazine Hör zu, which is archived from issue 1/1946 onwards.
The library is accessible to everyone, but registration is required.
As the library catalog is available online, searches can also be carried out from outside Hamburg at any time.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
