Environmental policy is widely considered to have emerged as a distinct policy field in Germany in 1969. As policymakers increasingly engaged with this complex area, the need for robust, evidence-based knowledge grew accordingly. Alongside university research and publicly funded research conducted outside universities, a third form of environmental policy research began to emerge: research undertaken by independent, non-governmental institutes.

This discussion paper examines how the first non-governmental environmental policy institutes came to be established, the role of environmental policy research and advice within this evolving landscape, and the factors that shaped the institutes’ establishment and subsequent development. The analysis shows that independent, science-based environmental policy advice only assumed a pivotal role during the second, more defensive phase of German environmental policy from the mid-1970s onwards. Through rigorous and critical expert assessments, these institutes exerted pressure on policymakers not to scale back their commitment to environmental protection.

The project From ‘Blue Skies over the Ruhr’ to the Energy Transition (December 2012–June 2014) produced seven papers covering a range of thematic perspectives. Drawing on insights from interviews conducted as part of the project and linking these findings to the existing academic literature, the papers contribute to documenting and analysing the history of independent environmental policy research and advice. They also identify areas in which the empirical material collected through the project helps to close existing knowledge gaps, while highlighting further research questions that extend beyond the scope of the project.