Innovation can catalyse new thinking as well as produce new approaches, ideas and tangible products that turn thought into action, making societal transformation viable and real. However, for true transformation to take root, people with diverse backgrounds and relevant expertise must be brought together in a timely and meaningful way.
As part of the Luc Hoffmann Institute’s broader approach to thought leadership and incubation, the Associates form a network of individuals nurtured by the institute. The network provides a space to think differently, offer and receive advice, develop ideas and strengthen networking within and outside of the nature conservation sector.
Who is a typical Luc Hoffmann Institute Associate?
The Luc Hoffmann Institute seeks out people with whom it can have a transformative impact, and bolster innovation and systems change. There is no typical associate. Rather, diversity is what defines the Luc Hoffmann Institute Associates. Associates might be academics, radical young practitioners, scientists, public and private sector leaders, communication professionals, independent scholars, policy analysts, policymakers, thematic experts, farmers, activists, technology wizards, and the list goes on. What binds the Luc Hoffmann Institute Associates is a passion for making a difference and a commitment to identifying, contributing and responding to emerging solutions for societal change that strengthen the wellbeing of nature and people.
How are Associates selected?
Associates are selected to ensure a dynamic balance of people across gender, culture, geography, worldviews and subject matter. The Luc Hoffmann Institute is in the co-creation phase of its 2021 cohort. For more information on the Luc Hoffmann Institute Associates, please contact Melanie Ryan at melryan@wwfint.org.
Some history
Since its inception, the Luc Hoffmann Institute has understood that connecting and harbouring diversity matters for the kinds of change we aspire to catalyse. In its early years, the Luc Hoffmann Institute was an independent research hub, turning science into action. In that capacity, it had a Fellows Programme, which provided a diverse group of postdoctoral researchers with training and support, access to new networks and opportunities to engage with their peers. These fellows connected research to real-time policy and practice questions and developed a range of ‘non-traditional’ skills. They worked across the world to shape climate policy in Colombia and uncover links between supply chains and biodiversity decline in the Cerrado in Brazil. They developed tools to help cities lower their carbon footprints, and worked on the designs of national parks in China. Today, they develop and define novel research and knowledge in intergovernmental platforms, foster social-environmental entrepreneurship, promote cutting edge work on the ground with governments, farmers and communities, and push forward innovative conservation practice through novel gaming methods and global trade focussed tools. These are just a few examples of their contribution to global conservation efforts.
Now positioned as an incubator of innovative solutions for life on Earth, the Luc Hoffmann Institute has built on its experience with the Fellowship Programme to develop its Associates programme.