The Knowledge Transfer division has two key tasks:
First, it provides diverse services to researchers. SOEPcampus workshops and SOEPtutorials offer young researchers an introduction to the SOEP data. A range of information and documentation materials are published online to assist researchers in their work with SOEP data. And the SOEP in Residence guest program enables visiting researchers to analyze the SOEP data on site at DIW Berlin with support and advice from experts on the SOEP team.
Second, the Knowledge Transfer team disseminates findings from research based on SOEP data to policy makers and the broader public to provide a solid empirical basis for public debate and political decision making. Findings from SOEP research appear not only in international journals but also in the DIW Berlin Weekly Report and the Data Report published jointly by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the Federal Agency for Political Education (bpb), the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), and the SOEP. Every year, the SOEP also provides the indicators used by diverse government departments and agencies in their official reports. These publications form the basis for the Knowledge Transfer division’s press and public relations work, which ranges from traditional media relations to high-profile public events and social media activities. Since 2018, a new program allows journalists to work directly with the SOEP data in the framework of a special cooperation agreement.