On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, BICC (Bonn International Center for Conversion) is planning a number of activities around the topic of Conversion Studies. An expert workshop at the Wissenschaftszentrum Bonn on 10 April 2014 intends to bring together practitioners and researchers in the field of Conversion Studies. BICC will invite some 25 experts from Germany and Europe (representatives from research institutes, politics, local authorities, and NGOs).
The workshop sets out with the question in which political–societal environment conversion has been taking place since the end of the Cold War, the structural reform of the Bundeswehr and the introduction of the Common European Security and Defence Policy. Against this backdrop, the following panel discussions will focus on the re-use of former military bases. Concentrating on North Rhine-Westphalia, the potentials of base conversion for the future of urban life will be examined, looking at practical experiences made. Finally, examples and challenges of base conversion in other European countries are presented. In a final round, further questions both with respect to the re-use of former military sites and to conversion (of the arms industry) in Germany and Europe shall be taken up. The outcome of the workshop will be documented by BICC.