Right Across Mannheim

On 7 November 2019, ZEW Mannheim welcomed 25 apprentices undertaking vocational training in the field of commerce at Berufsbildungszentrum Mannheim (BZE). During their visit, the group found out about the day-to-day business in an economic research institute, how ZEW differs from a university-based economics department, and which specific research questions are tackled by the ZEW team.

Why is it important to conduct scientific research? How can scientific findings be communicated to the public in such a way that they generate a sustainable impact? And what are the tangible effects that the results of ZEW can have on the economy and politics? To kick off the visit, Dr. Daniela Heimberger, head of the Service Department “International Cooperation and Public Relations”, provided the students with an overview of the structure, activities and research areas of ZEW. Next up, Annika Havlik, a PhD student in the ZEW Research Department “Corporate Taxation and Public Finance”, explained how working on a project plays out in practice. Citing the project “Evaluation of Tax Incentives”, which the Federal Ministry of Finance had commissioned with the Research Department, she illustrated the principle of science-based policy advice.

The BZE apprentices went across the entire city centre of Mannheim to get to ZEW for this short, but welcome change of scenery from which they returned with a bag full of new, exciting insights.