• Transdisciplinary research and knowledge transfer
• Regional and local development
• Post-growth, post-development, ecological welfare systems
• Practice theories
• Eco-social entrepreneurship
• Regional value chains and basic services

Endter, C., Kovanen, S., Retkowski, A. (2023). Gutes Leben im Alter in der deutsch-polnischen Grenzregion. Die T!Raum-Initiative Alterperimentale setzt auf Partizipation und Ko-Kreation mit älteren Menschen in der Entwicklung soziotechnischer und sozialökologischer Innovationen. Medien und Altern, 23. https://www.kopaed.de/kopaedshop/?pg=2_14&qt=32&pid=1465

Kovanen, S., Ulrich, P., Gailing, L. (2023): Institutionalizing collaborative regional governance in organizationally thin regions – Regional development agencies and the neglect of social innovations. Frontiers in Political Science (Section Comparative Governance), 5(1092295). 10.3389/fpos.2023.1092295

Nagy, E., Kovanen, S., Schäfer, M., Gailing, L. (2023): Innovationen in ländlichen Räumen etablieren? Erkenntnisse aus der Umsetzung und Weiterentwicklung einer regionalen Innovationsstrategie. RaumPlanung, 220(2023), 49-54.

Kovanen, Sunna. (in press). Rezension: Postwachstumsgeografien. Europa Regional.

Kovanen, Sunna. (2021). Social Entrepreneurship as a Collaborative Practice: Literature Review and Research Agenda. Journal of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management, 17(1), 97–128. https://doi.org/10.7341/20211713

Kovanen, S. (2020). Collaborative patterns of long-term sustainability in community social enterprises: International comparative case study. Quaestionaes Geographicae, 39(4), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.2478/quageo-2020-0033

van Twuijver, M. Kovanen S. & Olmedo, L. (2020) On a mission for the region. How social entrepreneurial actors tackle problems in structurally weak rural regions. Social Enterprises in Structurally Weak Rural Regions: Innovative Troubleshooters in Action. Handbook for Practitioners. IRS Dialog 6(2020), 14–29.

Eskelinen, Teppo, Kovanen, Sunna, Van der Wekken, Ruby. (2017). Self-Organisation in solidarity economies. Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu 3, 76–80.
 

Sunna Kovanen (2024): Alterperimentale, Soziotechnische Innovationen und Sozialräumliche Experimente zur Verbesserung der Lebensqualität älterer Menschen in Deutsch-Polnischen Grenzregion (Posterpresentation). 4. Brandenburger Kongress für Versorgungsforschung, Rüdersdorf, 06.02.2024.

Leonard Weiß & Sunna Kovanen (2023): Die Entwicklung der Bahnachse Berlin–Szczecin als Impuls zur nachhaltigen, grenzüberschreitenden Entwicklung im ländlichen, deutsch-polnischen Verflechtungsraum. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie, Frankfurt am Main, 20.09.2023.

Sunna Kovanen (2022): Change that lasts? Fostering social innovations in local livelihoods in rural North-Eastern Germany. Nordic Geographers' Meeting, Joensuu, Finnland, 20.06.2022.

Sunna Kovanen & Peter Ulrich: Building a participatory governance network for social innovation promotion in rural value chains in north-eastern Germany. Promises and challenges of research-guided rural development, Regional Studies Association - Regions in Recovery „Re-imagining Regions“, 01.04.2022.

Sunna Kovanen & Peter Ulrich: Building collaborative governance network for social innovations in rural value chains in North-Eastern Germany, 18.11.2021, GRASP - A Festival of New Ideas, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.

Anya Umantseva & Sunna Kovanen: Balancing between collaborative transformation and stability in rural eco-social entrepreneurship: international comparative case study, 18.11.2021, GRASP - A Festival of New Ideas, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.

Sunna Kovanen & Anya Umantseva: UK Society for Cooperative Studies Conference: Balancing between collaborative transformation and stability in rural eco-social entrepreneurship: international comparative case study, 10.09.2021.

Workshops with regional partners: Continuous workshop Bündnis WIR! Region 4.0 and Innovation Campus meBEST, 15.11.2021, Investor Center Uckermark, Schwedt (Oder).

Spatially just transition? Exploring (post)developmental discourses and practises in rural Europe. 25th YHYS Colloquium "Measuring and valuing sustainability", 20.11. 2020, online.

Video-presentation on the PhD-work for the EMES COST co-organized International Training School "Researching the collaborative dimension of social enterprise for sustainable regional and rural development" 23.10.2020, online.

(Un)just structures and practises of collaboration in rural social entrepreneurship –international comparison. 04.08.2020, Räumliche Gerechtigkeit. Themendossier of the Academy for Territorial Development of the Leibniz-Association:
https://www.arl-net.de/de/system/files/ARL%20Dossier%20Pr%C3%A4si%20Kovanen%20aktualisiert.pdf

Rural social entrepreneurship as collaborative endeavour: Way towards sustainability without growth? Social- and Solidarity Economy and the commons. 08.11.2019, ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.

On relevance and challenges of collaboration for the long-term sustainability of rural social enterprises. 8th Nordic Geographers´ Meeting. 18.06.2020, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Social Entrepreneurship Counterbalancing Peripherality? Kick-off Workshop of the Project Mining cities in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. 27.08.2018, Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany.

Reconceptualising rural social entrepreneurship as a collaborative, conflictive and learning endeavour. 6th International Degrowth Conference. 24.08.2018, Malmö, Sweden. Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies, Lund University.

Reconceptualising rural social enterprises as collaborative, conflictive and learning endeavours. 3rd EMES Polanyi Conference. 17.04.2018, Roskilde, Denmark. Roskilde University.

Reconceptualising rural social entrepreneurship as collaborative endeavour. Jahrestagung der Arbeitskreis Ländlicher Raum. 24.02.2018 Kiel, Germany. Geographisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.
 

Geldbach, L., Eichenauer, E. & Kovanen, S. (2023) Transformation processes from a rural justice perspective. Deutscher Kongress für Geographie, Frankfurt am Main, 22. September 2023.

Kovanen, S. & Mihály, M. (2022). Mobilizing for social and solidarity economies in (rural) perihperies. Regional Studies Association Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Conference, Leipzig, 15. September 2022.

Teaching:
WS 2022/2023: Stegreif: Partizipative Kleinstadtentwicklung mit Film (with Kamil Bembnista)

SS 2022: Excursion. "Uckermark-Barnim: Peripherie im Umbruch?" (with Ariane Sept).

Supervising internships at the Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography 2018 and 2020.

Guest stays:
Mustarinda recidency, Mai 2021, Finland

Secondment at the Cooperative Stevia Hellas, Greece, within the RurAction project October 2019. Co-organisation of a networking event for female entrepreneurs in the region of Phthiotis, Greece, Preparation of a survey for female entrepreneurs and introduction of impact assessment methods for the cooperative.

Secondment at the Association ADC Moura, Portugal April 2019 - June within the RurAction project. Support in organising advisory workshops for local farmers and in further project tasks.

Secondment at the Social Impact gGmbH Berlin November 2018 - February 2019 within the RurAction project and the INTERREG project SocentSPAS. Background research for and preparation of an action plan for improving social entrepreneurship policy in the state of Brandenburg.

Workshops and knowledge transfer:
Citizen Science Workshop: Alterperimentale & ProWohnberatung. Gasthörendenstudium WISSEN FÜR ALLE WiSe 2023/2024 at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus, 24. January 2024.

Film showing: Perspektiven zu Migration in Müncheberg. 24. November 2023, Müncheberg. Together with Kamil Bembnista.

Alterperimentale - Presentation at the UNIverselles Frühstück der BTU, 2. November 2023.

Planning simulation regarding pharmacy provision in the Boitzenburger Land as part of the research project Cross-InnoNet, 24-25. Mai 2023, Boitzenburg. Together with Leonard Weiß and Peter Ulrich.

Future Workshop Mobilität & Gesundheit: Innovative Versorgung in ländlichen Räumen – mobile medizinische Angebote und Infrastrukturen. Together with Leonard Weiß and Peter Ulrich.

Participation at the study visit by the OECD on conducting a Policy Review on „Boosting social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in Brandenburg“, the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of the federal state of Brandenburg, Potsdam 25.2.2020.

Co-organising the Brandenburg policy round table of the project RurAction and SEFORIS "Stadtflüchter & Landbleiber als Chance für ländliche Räume", online 25 June 2020

External advisor at the Global Goals Challenge Workshop by Social Impact 30.11.2019 Beelitz-Heilstätten.

Presentation at the workshop „Social Entrepreneurship – Eine neue Perspektive für Sachsen-Anhalt" together with Stefan Haunstein 19.03.2019. by the Center of Competence for Social Innovations in Sachsen-Anhalt, Frauenhofer Insitute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS), Halle.

Networks:
Community Economies Research Network (CERN Europe)
Polička collective
Sustainable welfare & Eco-social Policy Network
Vereinigung für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung