BenchEWS is an independent, open-science research programme founded by Bernd von Mallinckrodt. It investigates whether complex adaptive systems lose the structural freedom and feedback needed for self-correction before conventional warning signals become pronounced, and whether that capacity can be restored. The programme explores the balance between sufficient structure for coordination and enough available responses for learning and adaptation.

Its work brings together mathematical indicators, simulation, falsification criteria and scientific publications, while emphasizing evidence limits and avoiding claims of a universal cause-and-effect model. BenchEWS offers BenchEWS Studio, browser-based reference software for testing the research concepts, alongside downloads, documentation and simulation resources. Its website also provides research maps, papers, guided reading pathways and explanations of topics such as structural compression, persistence, adaptive reopening and early-warning signals.

Physical metaphors—including the Gömböc and Leidenfrost effect—help introduce questions about structure, thresholds and feedback; the programme presents them as limited analogies, not identical mechanisms. BenchEWS is intended as a research and educational resource, with applications considered across complex systems rather than a single specified industry