The Institute for Cooperative Studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin provides proven expertise in all areas of cooperative studies through its 24 members and partners. Through its links to academia, a national and international network of experts is also in contact with each other in more advanced areas. The cooperative practice, associations but also ministries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as educational institutions request this expertise at regular intervals in the form of invitations for expert lectures and publications on various topics, for example for the enrichment of further education courses, expert conferences, expert discussions, member forums or for example in the form of invited expert contributions to corresponding journals.

From April 27 – 30, 2009, Prof. Dr. Hanisch was invited to the three-day Expert Group Meeting of the United Nations on the topic of “Cooperatives in a world marked by crisis”. With 17 experts from all over the world, the decision to hold a World Cooperative Year of the UN General Assembly was prepared.

Member forums of VB Halle. From February 2009 to March 2009 we arranged the panel discussion rounds of the member forums of our long-standing sponsoring member of the Volksbank Halle e.G. in front of approx. 5500 members.

Contribution to the expert conference in Hanover “Future model cooperatives – Staying independent together” on June 11, 2007, NBank, Hanover. Professor Dr. Hanisch gave an invited expert lecture on future perspectives of the cooperative system.

The Federal Ministry commissions the Institute to prepare an expert commission on the topic of “housing cooperatives”. Beetz, Stephan; König, Barbara: Housing Cooperatives as Actors in Social Change. Report of the Institute at the Humboldt University of Berlin for the Preparation of the Expert Commission “Housing Cooperatives” of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing.