In 2017, ENCATC interviewed Dr. Annika Hampel, 2015 ENCATC Research Award Winner

ENCATC: What have you been doing since winning the 2nd ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Cultural Management?
Dr. Annika Hampel: After winning the Award, I was invited to a number of internationally renowned conferences, such as the International Conference on Cultural Policy Research 2016 (ICCPR 2016) in Seoul. Thanks to the ENCATC Research Award, the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD) funded my trip to the conference. I was very glad about this support. In addition, I was invited and asked to publish my research in various books and magazines. My research influences my work relating to the internationalization of German universities and vice versa. “Fair cooperation” also is of relevance to cooperation in the science sector. My expertise is incorporated in my daily work ranging from small collaborations with e.g. my international team members and colleagues to strategic partnerships of several high-ranking actors at renowned universities worldwide. At universities as well, quality of partnerships is increasingly gaining importance over quantity. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), we – the International Affairs Service Unit and the Vice President for International Affairs – plan to subject all cooperation projects to quality analysis in the future. This is part of our internationalization strategy developed at the moment. In this strategy, worldwide collaborations will play an important role.

ENCATC: What were the main conclusions of your winning PhD thesis?
Dr. Annika Hampel: My research focuses on international collaborations in cultural and education policies. From the political point of view, these partnerships, in particular those between the global north and the global south, require the partners to be on an equal footing. In reality, this requirement is questioned, not only by me, also by the cooperation partners. The main reason, of course, consists in the unequal funding shares in such projects. In my research, I have developed recommendations as to how cooperation partners in the future will come closer to the ‘guiding light’, i.e. dialog at eye level. My research is highly practice-oriented: I have accompanied five cooperation projects for more than a year and discussed with the cooperation partners their successes and challenges, their fears of e.g. failure, and their findings. This was rather thrilling, and these reflections have largely enriched my work. My research is dedicated to the cooperation partners, and I would like to express my gratitude for the interest, trust, and openness of my conversation partners.

ENCATC: Where and how you do hope your research will have the greatest impact?
Dr. Annika Hampel: I would like my research to have the greatest impact on practice. My findings and recommendations are being considered by international cooperation projects in cultural policy and cultural management. In June, for instance, I visited the Goethe-Institut head office in Munich to present my research. My audience consisted of cultural managers, who implement partnerships in e.g. dancing and music on a daily basis. In May, I also presented my research at the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children and Young People ‘Cradle of Creativity’ in Cape Town. Theater producers from Brazil, India, and South Africa came to me or contacted me to obtain more information about my “fair cooperation” concept. In parallel, my research results are included in current discourse on cultural policy and cultural management, as I regularly attend science conferences worldwide or publish scientific articles about “fair cooperation” in a variety of media. Also, politics deals with my resarch. In March, for instance, I was invited to a workshop at the Federal Foreign Office organized by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa) in Stuttgart. As an expert, I was asked to talk about “Culture as a strategic factor: India.” This publication I think is extremely useful for students as well. It could help them prepare for the cooperation projects they will work on in their future roles as cultural managers.

ENCATC: How does an Award like this one helped to support the career of a young/early career researcher who has recently completed their PhD thesis?
Dr. Annika Hampel: Thanks to the Award granted by ENCATC in 2015, I have been able to join the activities and I had the opportunities outlined above. In 2015, I also received the ifa Research Award on Foreign Cultural Policy of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations), Stuttgart, for my research. Both awards considerably enhanced national and international awareness of my research. As a result, my network was extended significantly. It enables me to make my research better known, to actively participate in the corresponding events, and to further advance my research. I very much enjoy this ideal cooperation. And with its English translation funded by ENCATC, my work is able to reach even more audiences and I hope will have an even greater impact. The translation also means it is my first publication in English and I think this is extremely valuable for my career.