Living Knowledge. Living Knowledge. Future Options for Responsible Research and innovation. No May 2013

Transcription

1 Living Knowledge International Journal of Community Based Research ISSN No May 2013 Future Options for Responsible Research and innovation 6 th Living Knowledge Conference Forgotten Citizens of Europe The Other Edge of Innovation Media in Responsible Research and Innovation Equity and Sustainibility Field Hearings Living Knowledge The International Science Shop Network

2 Contents Editorial Contents Focus: Future Options for Responsible Research and Innovation 6 th Living Knowledge Conference An Innovative Civil Society: Impact through Co-creation and Participation» 5 Civil Society as Producer of Knowledge - The thoughts behind the 6th Living Knowledge Conference in Copenhagen» 6 PERARES Free Science Shop Summer School» 9 Forgotten Citizens of Europe - A brief report on the Hungarian fieldwork in PERARES:» 10 Focus Media in Responsible Research and Innovation» 12 On the Other Edge of Innovation - Community-University Partnerships Disrupt the Mundane» 16 Equity & Sustainability Field Hearings - Seeking Input from the Poor» 18 Science Shop - Network WissNET» 20 Mass experiments for school children in Sweden» 21 Region in Balance - Sustainable land use management in the district of Borken» 22 Editorial This year, 2013, was announced as Year of Citizens with one of its intentions to encourage people to participate in civic fora on EU policies and issues. We found new buzzwords in the headlines: Responsible Research and Innovation and Transformative Science. The first keyword stands as challenge for the creation of a Research and Innovation policy driven by the needs of society and engaging all societal actors via inclusive participatory approaches. The second keyword stands for a research that shifts or breaks existing scientific paradigms and became important in policy debates about the future of science in society. It can t be denied that research and education - in co-operation with policy-makers, business and society at large, the scientific community - are tasked with developing visions for society, exploring various development pathways, and supporting sustainable technological and social innovations by creating problem awareness and promoting systemic thinking, thus empowering people to participate in and shape the transformation process. On the other hand science policy in the past was only little noticed by civil society s associations. Here we see a powerful change, because civil society has the impression that the science system does not take on the pressing societal challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, urbanization or affordable health in an aging society - the so-called Grand Challenges - in sufficient numbers and with adequate means. To come to practical solutions, to develop Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), public engagement and participation on all levels is vital: participation of citizens in generating research, but also participation in monitoring or performing research, in data collection or scenario development. A structured public engagement and involvement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Research & Innovation (R&I) therefore has the potential of shaping an innovation-friendly culture. Only by integrating all forms of knowledge including up to now insufficiently considered local knowledge and practical experiential knowledge, in addition to expert and scientific knowledge, we will be able to build a truly knowledge-based society. Society s participation in developing research issues, in the research process itself and in the debate about its findings will be important factors determining the success of the transformation process. Yours sincerly, Norbert Steinhaus Living Knowledge International Journal of Community Based Research No. 11 May 2013 Around the World» 3 Forum» 23 Clippings» 24 Published by the International Science Shop Contact Point, c/o Wissenschaftsladen Bonn e.v., Reuterstr. 157, D Bonn, Germany, phone: , fax: , mail: livingknowledge@wilabonn. de, Editor: Norbert Steinhaus (norbert.steinhaus@wilabonn.de), Assistant Editor: Michaela Shields (michaela.shields@wilabonn.de), Layout: Norbert Steinhaus, Pictures: Archive, Norbert Steinhaus, Dr. Cornelia Voß, Pecher Naturgarten, Barbara Mihók, Maria Angela Ferrario, Deborah S. Rogers, Lisa Kannenbroch (Kreis Borken). Printed by: WarlichDruck RheinAhr GmbH, Bonn, May 2013, Number of Copies: 2000 Living Knowledge Journal of Community Based Research is part of the output of PERARES (Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement with Society) which has been awarded financial support by the European Commission as coordination action through the contract no in FP7 (Area Broader engagement on science-related questions, SiS Structuring public engagement in research (PER)). For further information please see www. livingknowledge.org or contact Henk Mulder at h.a.j.mulder@rug.nl. The next printed issue of Living Knowledge International Journal of Community Based Research will be published in April Information about coming editions and publishing cooperations can be found at the homepage of the Science Shop network ( editors still welcome the contribution of reports, articles, news, press releases and clippings, letters, contribution to discussions, job offers, internships, internet links etc for the Living Knowledge newsletter and the website. Please feel free to contact the editors for your questions and any support. The views expressed in the articles and papers are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. Whilst every care has been taken during production, the publisher does not accept any liability for errors that may have occurred. 2 Living Knowledge

3 Around the World INCERL - New Network in Ireland A new network - the Irish Network for Community-Engaged Research and Learning (INCERL) - has been established in Ireland. Whilst it builds on the informal networking already taking place amongst coordinators across the island of Ireland, the creation of a formal network is a direct outcome of the PERARES project. The first meeting was held at the Living Knowledge Conference in Bonn in May Three members of the PERARES consortium are involved in the network University College Cork, Dublin Institute for Technology and Queen s University Belfast, alongside five other Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The network brings together co-ordinators of communityengaged research and learning from HEIs across the island of Ireland. The goal is to provide mutual support to staff who encourage and support lecturers, students and community partners to collaborate on course-based, credit-bearing projects for mutual benefit. To date, the focus has been on sharing resources and experiences in the areas of policy, practice, and research/scholarship. Community engaged research and learning are developing fields in Ireland, and members of the network see an opportunity to to support further embedding, both at the level of individual HEIs and at the policymaking level. The policy context for the development of this area of work in Ireland is encouraging the recent National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (2011),which set a policy context where research, teaching and civic engagement are the three main strategic priorities for HEIs in Ireland this is the first time that civic engagement has been formally identified as a key pillar in Higher Education in Ireland. The challenge now is to ensure that this strategic priority is translated to action. Contact: Dr Emma McKenna, Science Shop Queen s University Belfast, e.mckenna@qub. ac.uk Midwest Knowledge Mobilization Network At a gathering at CURL (Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University of Chicago) on October 19 th, 2012, faculty, students, and staff from a number of Midwest colleges and universities made plans to grow a network of universitycommunity research and action centers (also known as Science Shops) in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. Beth Tryon and Ashley Ross from the Community University Exchange at the University of Wisconsin were particularly instrumental in organizing this conference. A larger network- ing conference will be held later in the Spring 2013 in Indianapolis following the wish to create an informal communication and resource sharing network with working name The Midwest Knowledge Mobilization Network to promote and advocate for Science Shop philosophy and perhaps to use that visibility to bring more resources to all our work. Information will be sent out on the Living Knowledge Discussion List. See also under: edu/ or curl/index.shtm Formal Launch of UNESCO Chair in CBR and Social Responsibility in Higher Education Formal launch at University of Victoria, Ceremonial Hall of First People s House, on 4 March 2013 The UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education grows out of and supports the UNESCO global lead to play a key role in assisting countries to build knowledge societies. This recently created UNESCO Chair uniquely has its home in two complementary but distinct institutions. It is co-located at the Community Development Programme in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria (UVic) in Canada and at the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) located in New Delhi, India. Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Founding President of PRIA and Dr. Budd L Hall, Professor of Community Development at UVic serve as the first Co- Chairs. The UNESCO Chair supports North-South-South Nature into Gray Zones Bringing nature into gray zones - this is the motto for a campaign for unsealing and close to nature greening of urban industrial areas which started April 2013 and is led by the Bonn Science Shop. In addition to the direct environmental benefits, the three-year project aims at raising awareness among both corporate representatives and citizens for the urban margins for biodiversity conservation in urban areas and to make them actors. To boost the key objectives of nature protection, attention must be drawn and South-South partnerships that build on and enhance the emerging consensus in knowledge democracy. It strengthens recent collaboration between the Higher Education section in UNESCO, the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI) and the Global Alliance on Community Engaged Research (GACER). Over the next four years, the co-chairs intend to work to mainstream the practice of community-based research in the teaching and research functions of higher education world-wide. Contact: Budd L Hall, PhD, Co-Chair, bhall@uvic.ca, buddhall to areas where nature protection is so far little discussed. Through the approach to bring together representatives of business and civil society for team actions for biodiversity, the subject is placed in social areas that have hardly been considered for the implementation of relevant nature protection objectives. In three pilot cities, Duisburg (NRW), Erfurt (TH) and Wiesloch (BW), a preferably large group of local stakeholders, companies and citizens will be won over events, an online competition and individual status-quo analysis. Contact on site are the local community foundations in the three cities. Contact at the Bonn Science Shop is Dr. Anke Valentin, anke.valentin@wilabonn.de, International Journal of Community Based Research No. 11 May

4 Around the World Community Researchers for Sustainability As a by-product of the PER- ARES project, a new Science Shop was established in Szeged, Hungary in the beginning of The initiative arose during the participatory action research process focusing on local human rights and marginalized people and quickly gained further support from researchers and activists involved in different areas of environmental and social justice. The new group called Community Researchers for Sustainability (CRS) is a nonprofit association established by 10 individuals including citizen activists, academic researchers, university students, local politicians, and civil servants. As our mission says, being committed to sustainability, social and environmental justice and solidarity, CRS aims to study and shape social, ecological and economic systems and their Belfast students support dementia care Based in West Belfast, Springfield Charitable Association runs a day centre which is used by older people with dementia or who are at risk of developing it in the future. They offer activities such as gardening and fitness classes and organise day trips. They have been considering ways of expanding this service and wanted research to examine models of dementia care services both across the UK and elsewhere and the costs associated with such services. A group of Social Policy students carried out research, gathering up to date information on dementia statistics within Northern Ireland and making recommendations for models of good practice in dementia care elsewhere. The results were utilised the results as part of a successful bid to the Big Lottery Fund. science.shop@qub.ac.uk relations through (1) participatory action research and (2) citizen activism. Our aim is to bridge the gap between the academic sphere and the local communities, with a special emphasis on engaging the most vulnerable groups of society. PERARES constituted an important step in the emergence of CRS since half of the founders of the association have been involved in the PERARES work in Hungary. Their involvement in the PERARES community and the Living Knowledge Network played a vital catalyst role in the initiation of a new Science Shop in Hungary. Contact: György Málovics, mailto: malovics@gmail. com, More information on CRS will be available soon at WoesteLand - Effects and motives in fifty years nature camps for youth WoesteLand is the national youth working group of IVN, the Dutch institute for education on nature and the environment. For the last fifty years, the working group has been organising activity camps in nature conservation areas for young people between the ages of 12 and 30, where they take part in volunteer conservation work. The WoesteLand group particularly wants to offers participants opportunities to experience and enjoy nature together. WoesteLand s activities are supervised by enthusiastic young volunteers. This report is based on a research study of the long term effects of participation in WoesteLand s summer camps on the well being of participants and their attitude to life. The study also examined the motives behind the participants decision to take part in the camps over the past fifty years. A relatively large proportion of the participants later join nature conservation organisations, making the WoesteLand camps a useful breeding ground for volunteer conservationists, including those working for IVN itself. Science Shop Wageningen, wetenschapswinkel@wur.nl A Green Track through Amersfoort Association Sustainable Soesterkwartier in the city of Amersfoort is convinced that establishing a green recreational belt between the city centre and the rural area can be a solution to the social and urban planning challenges that Amersfoort is facing today. Sustainable Soesterkwartier calls this green recreational belt The Green Rail Track (Het Groene Spoor). Paradoxically, the green rail track should, on the one hand, be a unit in form and function (a connection between town and countryside), and should, on the other hand, get a very local interpretation that meets the local needs and possibilities. Our study shows that it is not possible for the ecological and recreational corridors to completely overlap. Where they do, they reinforce each other. In this report, this hypothesis is tested by matching the social and urban challenges with a design for the Green Rail Track at study area level and plot level. Guiding concepts in the study are Reuse Of Space, Temporary Planning and Multiple Land Use. Science Shop Wageningen, wetenschapswinkel@wur.nl CBR and the democratization of science and technology - A framework for the e valuation of Science Shop work PhD research by Katharina Schlierf, Valencia 2010 An often-acclaimed and appealing goal of science shops is the democratization of science and techno logy, closely related to Benjamin Barber s strong democracy theoretical notion, as mobilized by Richard Sclove in relation to Science Shops. The thesis explores how Science Shop practices may enact alternative democracy perspectives corresponding to an issue-centered approach, and to the principles of technical democracy. The thesis consists of a case study of one well established Science Shop in Denmark and an analysis of a pilot project for a new Science Shop in Spain. This empirical material allows to argue for the analytical potential of the above mentioned alternative perspectives for understanding Science Shop work and its democratic relevance. On this basis, the thesis proposes a theoretical frame - work for the evaluation of such work. Its core principle is to conceive of evaluation as experimentation: the framework invites to understand Science Shop work as a progressive and collective exploration, definition and redefinition of a critical role of universities in society. Download thesis 4 Living Knowledge

5 An Innovative Civil Society: Impact through Co-creation and Participation Focus by Michael Søgaard Jørgensen and Søsser Brodersen The time has come to recognize civil society as producer of knowledge, and have civil society organisations accepted as partners in research and innovation directed towards public interest, but also have civil society s own activities recognised as research and innovation. The call for papers for the 6 th International Living Knowledge Conference, 9-11 April 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is open. Introduction There is today some interest in participation of citizens and civil society organisations in community-based research and in policy processes and decision-making. However, there is still a long way to go before citizens and civil society organisations are fully accepted as equal partners and providers of knowledge and expertise to solve societal challenges, despite the many innovative ideas and initiatives, which communities and civil society organisations develop and organise. Researchers and students can be exposed to societal perspectives of research and innovation by integrating engagement with societal actors into university curricula and into research. There is also a need for structures for partnerships between researchers and societal actors as part of research activities, including as part of research planning. At the same time there is a need for mechanisms which enable civil society actors to develop their research capacities. The 6 th Living Knowledge Conference will seek to explore experiences with research and innovation for, with and by civil society, and develop policy recommendations and articulate research needs within communitybased research and research focusing on societal challenges. The conference will build on the experience of the previous Living Knowledge Conferences in Leuven, Seville, Paris, Belfast and Bonn. The conference will be an opportunity to bring together some of the key thinkers and practitioners in the area of community-based research, university-community partnerships and Science Shops, provide opportunities for collaboration, and try to ensure that civil society s role in research and innovation is prioritised on policy agendas, both nationally and internationally. The 6 th Living Knowledge Conference will also be a platform for exchange and discussions of findings and results of the PERARES project among policy makers, researchers and civil society organisations. An important objective of the PERARESconsortium is to move dialogues between researchers and civil society upstream,and develop proposals for which direction new research and innovation activities and programs should take. The conference is hosted by Aalborg University s Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitionsin Copenhagen and is organised by researchers who were among the founders of the international Science Shop network, Living Knowledge. Aalborg University has also a strong record in problem-based learning as part of its curricula. A pre-conference Science Shop Summer School on developing community-based research based on the Science Shop model will be organized 7-8 April The conference themes are: Theme 1: Social innovation empowering civil society? Theme 2: How to involve multiple users in design of assistive technologies? Theme 3: Co-operation in multicultural contexts - North South cooperation Theme 4: Sustainable development: from vision to transition Theme 5: Developing competences through problem-based learning with civil society Theme 6: Developing the university civil society interaction Theme 7: How to organize and manage Science Shops and community-based research units? Theme 8: Governance of science and technology with civil society Conference themes and guiding questions Proposals for sessions, individual papers, plenaries, posters, open spaces, labs and other types of contributions are welcomed within the themes described in the following. We welcome and encourage researchers, Science Shop members, students and policy members to submit proposals. Guiding questions for contributions are given within each theme underneath. Some themes are mostly focusing on specific societal issuesand some themes are mostly focusing on structures and methods within civil society and innovation. 1: Social innovation empowering civil society? Social innovation is one of the more recent innovation concepts. It is defined in many different ways ranging from civil society organizations and grassroots organizations development of solutions to societal problems to social entrepreneurs and social enterprises development and supply of products and services. Furthermore, the recent economic crisis and austerity has created civil society initiatives aiming at delivering social care, health care, environmental protection etc. when public institutions make cut down. At the same policy-makers seem to expect increasing civil society responsibility. Key questions: What are the experiences from civil society organizations and grassroots organizations innovative activities: planning, implementation, impact, embedding, transfer and dissemination, etc.? What are the experiences from social entrepreneurship and social enterprises? How legitimate are the products and ser- International Journal of Community Based Research No. 11 May

6 vices provided? How are citizens and civil society organizations involved? How is the economic crisis and austerity changing the roles of civil society, governmental institutions and businesses in social care, health care, environmental protection etc.? What are the roles of Science Shops, university research and education in enabling, organizing, embedding, and disseminating social innovation? What methods are used in organising the temporary spaces (popups) in social innovation processes? How do the applied methods influence the focus and the impact of the social innovation processes? 2: How to involve multiple users in design of assistive technologies In the recent yearsassistive technology has come high on the political agendas in Europe, and many new product designs are currently being implemented in the healthcare sector, which present designers with the new challenges involved in socially innovative design, where multiple users are in focus. Among these multiple users are disabled persons, disability associations and other civil society organizations, as well as public institutions, health care workers and their trade unions, relatives, andindustry. The challenge to be discussed within this theme is how to involve multiple users and integrate their different concerns in socially innovative design of assistive technology. Key questions: How are partnerships between multiple user groups, public institutions and industry created? How are socially valuable groups given voice in these partnerships? And how is the co-operation performed and shaped? How are the multiple users represented in the designers scriptswith the designers understanding of the problem in focus and how it can be solved? How are the multiple users different types of experience and knowledge translated into concepts, mock-ups etc.? What are the experiences with the use of design or re-design of assistive technologies and systems based on involvement of multiple users? 3: Co-operation in multicultural contexts North-South co-operation During the recent 15 years there has been a big increase within activities in engineering, design and development performed within multicultural contexts. Several organizations have provided support to poor communities in solving their problems and building up capacity. This new wave of activity is characterized by an approach that can be summarized as Design for People. This approach tends to believe that only Western academic knowledge is the legitimate basis for developing solutions for poor communities. However, there is a need for efforts where the experiences and competences of the different participants are considered equally important and where co-creation among the participants is a core principle; an approach which can be characterised as Design with People. Key questions: What are the experiences with development and learning from approaches and methods formulticultural co-creation processes where different stakeholders (civil society organizations, universities, local governments, donor agencies etc.) are involved in activities that imply the use of established and new technologies and designs in a multicultural context? How to develop new methods and common tools to gather data, co-design, visualize and stage a design process in a multicultural context? Co-operation in a multicultural context often challenges all partners involved in coordination and communication (informal, formal and technical). Which competences are needed and how to create these competences in order to operate successfully across cultures in a multi-organizational and multicultural design project? 4: Sustainable development: from vision to transition While there often is wide national and international agreement about long-term visions for sustainable development like a fossil-free society or sustainable consumption and production, transition processes towards such visions are often controversial. Disagreements about experiments, investments, etc. and their sustainability aspects are frequent. An example is the controversies about the future roles of bioenergy and the impacts on food supply, nature, climate etc. Civil society organisations and researchers initiate many types of projects at local, national or international level, including experiments with new ways of production and consumption. Some civil society organisations build alliances with local or national governments and some with businesses in order to obtain influence. Civil society organisations and researchers are also members of program committees, commissions etc. The theme focuses on critical reflections from efforts for a more sustainable development, including the roles of navigation, governance structures, visions and plans, experiments, and transfer of experiences from one context to another. Key questions: What learning have different stakeholdersobtained from sustainable development projects in terms of conditions and strategies for future sustainable transition processes? What potentials and barriers have been experiencedwith transfer of experiences with sustainable transition processes among communities, cities, regions and nations? What are the experiences with integration of environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development in sustainable development projects? What are the experiences from cooperation between civil society and researchers with respect to knowledge production, capacity building, and empowerment? 6 Living Knowledge

7 5: Developing competences through problem-based learning with civil society When students as a part of their education participate in Science Shop projects or other types of community-based research in co-operation with citizen groups it can be seen as community-based learning in an authentic learning environment. This kind of learning has advantages by making connections between abstract concepts learned in the classroom and real applications in the world outside. Furthermore community-based learning enables learning through a cycle of action and reflection. The developed competences are useful in the students later professional careers. Key questions: What are the strategies and experiences from incorporating Science Shop projects and other community-based projects intodifferent types of curricula? How are experiences from community-based learning and research influencing competences and careers as professionals? How to assess students competences gained in authentic learning environments likecommunity-based projects? How to ensure the quality of learning in authentic learning environments like community-based projects? How to stimulate the learning and reflection of the students in community-based projects? 6: Developing the university civil society interaction Many national and regional governments are developing strategies and policies for more interaction between universities (and other higher education institutions) and civil society. In some cases the increased strategic focus on interaction with society primarily develops into increased cooperation with businesses, in other cases cooperation with citizens, communities and civil society organisations get an important role. There is need for knowledge about what role civil society plays in the increasing focus on interaction between higher education institutions and society. Key questions: What strategies are universities and higher education institutions using to develop cooperation with society and how is this influencing research and education? What are the roles of communities and civil society organizations in co-operation between universities and higher education institutions, and society? What are the challenges for developing strategies and policies to support university-civil society interaction? 7: How to organize and manage Science Shops and community-based research units? The vision of community-based research and Science Shops is to support civil society actors in gaining impact on societal issues they are concerned about. Some activities focus on the need for documentation of problems, some on gathering knowledge about new social challenges, and some on design of new systems and services. Science Shops and community-based research units are organized in different ways with respect to roles they have in the cooperation with civil society, reaching from primarily mediation of knowledge needs from civil society to researchers and students to participation in research with civil society and attempts to ensure actual civil society influence. There is a need for more knowledge about how the ways, which Science Shops and other types of community-based research units are organized and work, co-shape citizens and civil society organizations societal influence. Key questions: How are Science Shops and community-based research units organized in terms of competences, economic resources, organizational structures, roles in cooperation with civil society actors etc.? How does cooperation with different types of Science Shops and community-based research units impact civil society s influence? 8: Governance of science and technology with civil society The contribution of participatory research projects to policymaking, and the participation of civil society and citizens in research policy-making are not separate issues in the governance debate. Though the scales and mechanisms are different, the governance tools available can be seen as part of a continuum that goes from attempts at better informing policy-makers of civil society s realities, needs and priorities, to finding new ways in which civil society directly participates in policy-making. Key questions: What are the experiences with different participatory methods, like public debates, public hearings, consensus conferences, citizen conferences, citizens juries, etc. with respect to the framing of the participatory process, the empowerment of civil society actors and the influence on societal development? What are the experiences from participatory research projects with involvement of civil society actors, policy-makers, etc.? What are the experiences with respect to project shaping, research organisation, knowledge production, societal influence, etc.? What are civil society organisations research needs and agendas? What are the experiences of thematic forums and platforms etc. with researchers, civil society organisations, policy makers, etc.? How to raise civil society organisations awareness about research opportunities and make them familiar with the concept of participatory research? What can funders do to incorporate CSOs and CSO needs in planning of research programmes, calls for proposals, and the conditions for funding proposals? Deadlines and submission What to submit: Extended Abstracts (2500 characters including space) When to submit abstracts: At the latest October 1, Notice of acceptance: End November 2013 Opportunity to submit accepted revised abstract until: February, 1, 2014 Opportunity to submit full papers and work-in-progress papers until: March, 1, 2014 Where to submit: Contact: Søsser Brodersen, Aalborg University - Copenhagen, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitions, Department of Development and Planning, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, Tel , lk6@plan.aau.dk, The Living Knowledge Conference is part of the output of PERARES (Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement with Society) - which has been awarded financial support by the European Commission as coordination action through contract no in FP7 (Area Broader engagement on science-related questions, SiS Structuring public engagement in research (PER)) International Journal of Community Based Research No. 11 May

8 Civil Society as Producer of Knowledge The thoughts behind the 6 th Living Knowledge Conference in Copenhagen Interview with host and local organizers Michael Søgaard Jørgensen and Søsser Brodersen, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitions, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark LK: What have been your thoughts when planning the conference? Søsser: We think the time has come to recognize civil society as producer of knowledge, and to have civil society organisations accepted as partners in research and innovation directed towards public interest, but also have civil society s own activities recognised as research and innovation. If you want to achieve practical solutions, public engagement and participation on all levels is vital. This means participation of citizens in generating research, but also participation in monitoring or performing research, in data collection or scenario development. Michael: We see, today, some interest in participation of citizens and civil society organisations in community-based research and in policy processes and decision-making. Participative format has gained in importance internationally and created many opportunities for dialogue-oriented science: scientists, students, and citizens can discuss socially relevant subjects and questions together and work out problem solutions. Scientists bring their factual knowledge and expertise to the table, citizens their questions and problems, but also their views, expectations, value orientation, and their specific state of knowledge. However, there is still a long way to go before citizens and civil society organisations are fully accepted as equal partners and providers of knowledge and expertise to solve societal challenges, despite the many innovative ideas and initiatives, which communities and civil society organisations develop and organise. LK: How may this be achieved? Michael: There is a need for structures for partnerships between researchers and societal actors, and not least civil society, as part of research activities, including in research planning. At the same time there is a need for mechanisms for civil society organizations to improve their research capacities. A structured public engagement and involvement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Research & Innovation (R&I) has the potential of shaping an innovation-friendly culture as it fosters society s capacity to understand, assimilate and identify itself with the drive for innovation. Michael S. Jørgensen Søsser: The conference is titled: An Innovative Civil Society: Impact through Co-creation and Participation. Thus we hope the conference will be a platform to bring together some of the key thinkers and practitioners in the area of community-based research, university-community partnerships and Science Shops, and to provide opportunities for collaboration, and try to ensure that civil society s role in research and innovation is prioritised on policy agendas, both nationally and internationally. Only by integrating all forms of knowledge - including up to now insufficiently considered local knowledge and practical experiential knowledge, in addition to expert and scientific knowledge - we will be able to build a truly innovative civil society. LK: How is the conference funded? Søsser: The 6 th Living Knowledge Conference is part of the PER- ARES project and thus partly funded by the project. However there will be a participant fee. The amount will be mentioned at the conference webpage. Michael: The conference will also be part of the finalization of the PERARES project. And an important part of the conference will be to provide a platform for exchange and discussions of findings and results of the PERARES project concerning possibilities for civil society engagement in research among policy makers, researchers and civil society organisations. LK: Where is the conference taking place? Søsser Brodersen Søsser: In Copenhagen, Denmark. You probably know the three most famous attractions in the city: The more than 100-year old amusement park Tivoli Gardens, the statue of The Little Mermaid, and the freetown of Christiania. But Copenhagen has a lot more to offer. And the upcoming attraction will of course be the 6 th Living Knowledge Conference which will take place at Hotel Scandic Sydhavnen, located only 3 km from central Copenhagen, only 10 minutes from Copenhagen Airport and 3 minutes from Sydhavn Station. LK: If someone wants more information, where are they to find that? Søsser: Potential participants can either look through the webpage from where information will be available soon or they can contact us at lk6@plan.aau.dk. Michael: Prior to the conference, a Science Shop Summer School is organized, focusing on developing community-based research based on the Science Shop model. This Summer School will be organized 7-8 April 2014 at the same venue at the conference. Contact: Søsser Brodersen, Aalborg University - Copenhagen, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transitions, Department of Development and Planning, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, Tel , lk6@plan.aau.dk, 8 Living Knowledge

9 Free Science Shop Summer School Budapest, Hungary, 1 st and 2 nd July, 2013 European funding allows the Living Knowledge Network to offer a free Summer School to all those interested in how to potentially START to operate a Science Shop, or Community-Based Research Office. The Summer School will cover the basics; it is not aimed at already experienced Science Shops. It will take place in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday 1 st and Tuesday 2 nd of July, 2013, for two full days. Participation is free; however, you do need to cover your own travel and stay. Workshop language will be English. This Summer School focuses on participants from Central and Eastern Europe. For them, it is first come, first serve; places are limited, but we will set up a waiting list if necessary. You have to re-confirm your participation firmly before June 1st, because if for some reason you are not able to come (agenda change, no budget found, etc), we can give your place to the next on the waiting list. With free events, the risk is always present that people book and then do not show up; we decided to keep it free, but clearly need your co-operation and fairness Participants from non-ce countries are welcome, but are placed on the waiting list first. They will be informed by May 1st regarding their participation. Alternatives in other locations are: Science Shop Summer School, Copenhagen, next year, April 7-8, 2014 or a 90 minute session and a chance to meet during breaks at the CUExpo, Corner Brook, Canada ( cuexpo2013.ca), this year, June 12-15, This Summer School will in the form of interactive lectures and is facilitated by Science Shop coordinators with a long experience, from The Netherlands, Hungary and Romania. Science Shops provide independent, participatory research support in response to concerns expressed by civil society groups. In their interactive science communication, they cover all academic and engineering disciplines, so science should be taken in its broadest meaning. They are also not shops in the traditional sense of the word. Science Shops are thus small entities that carry out or mediate/facilitate research in a wide range of disciplines usually free of charge on behalf of (or with) citizens and civil society organisations. That Science Shops respond to civil society s needs for expertise and knowledge is a key element that distinguishes them from other knowledge transfer mechanisms. Science Shops are often linked to universities, so that students can conduct research as part of their curriculum with no additional costs to partners. Others, however, are not linked to a University and operate as independent entities. The Summer School is relevant to those who would like to structure and embed community-university engagement more broadly in their local (or regional) context, or set up any form of co-operation in research with civil-society organisations. The workshop will be in the form of an interactive class. We will discuss operational options and good practices, but also challenges in running a Science Shop. We will talk about the history of Science Shops, about working with students in the curriculum, about working with researchers and working with civil society organisations. We will show how an office of a Science Shop can be organised (at university, faculty, or as independent organisation). We will elaborate on the 10 steps in the mediation process --the daily work at a Science Shop-- and will explain and exercise with you how projects are set-up. We will also elaborate on funding options and partners to involve in setting up a Science Shop, and setting up national networks as part of the wider Living Knowledge Network. There are many differences in the way Science Shops are organised and operate, as well as some important parallels. With the participants we will discuss the possibilities to best adapt good practices to their own local context. We will not present just one blueprint, because that does not exist. Thus, we hope for an active contribution of all participants. The Summer School addresses university leaders, research managers, professors/teachers, science policy makers, scientists, science communicators, community leaders, NGO representatives, graduate students, PhD students, and others who are interested in setting up a Science Shop or starting Community- Based Research projects. This Summer School receives funding from the European Community s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under grant agreement n (the PERARES project). Main organisers are: Dr. Henk Mulder, Science Shop, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, h.a.j.mulder@rug.nl Prof.dr.eng Rodica Stanescu, Intermediu Science Shop, Technical University of Bucharest, Romania, rodica_stanescu_ro@yahoo.com Dr. Bálint Balázs, ESSRG/Hungarian Science Shop, balazs.balint@essrg.hu International Journal of Community Based Research No. 11 May

10 Forgotten Citizens of Europe A brief report on the Hungarian fieldwork in PERARES by György Málovics 1,2, Barbara Mihók 2,3, István Szentistványi 2,3, György Pataki 2,4, Ágnes Roboz 3, Szabolcs Nyakas 3, Bálint Balázs 4 The Hungarian fieldwork within a PERARES Work Package on Structuring PER in Social Sciences Research and Forgotten Citizens of Europe: Local Human Rights started in January Since then ESSRG (Hungarian Science Shop contact point, www. essrg.hu), as a PERARES research partner, and a local CSO, the Szeged Group of Protect the Future, have been working together with the local Roma community in Szeged within a participatory action research (PAR) framework. In the present report the PAR process and its outcomes will be briefly described. The Social Context: The Roma in Szeged According to available estimates (Rátkai 1997), the Roma community consisted of people in Szeged in Based on the interviews conducted within our research the current number of Roma in Szeged is more likely to be around individuals. There are two larger segregated areas in the city but the majority of the Roma live scattered all around the town. Based on their descent and social situation, the Roma population in Szeged shows a rather diverse picture. During the 1980s the majority of the Roma population had legal income from employment while the level of schooling did not increase. After the regime change in there was a swift decrease in the demand for unskilled members of the Roma population and they could not find their place in the new job market (Rátkai 1997). Recent research points out that problems have increased for instance, the housing conditions of the Roma returned to its level of 1971 (Dupcsik 2009). The lack of education and professional training is the primary obstacle to employment. In addition, increasing social prejudices also hinders job seekers. The state s social welfare system has therefore become the major source of income for Roma from as early as Rátkai (1997) also points out the low level of self-organization and political representation of the Roma in Szeged (which is similar to other regions in the country), which have been confirmed by our interviewees as well. The functioning of the Local Roma Self-Government of Szeged (RSG) is continuously hindered by a lack of human and financial resources. The financial sources available to support the community disappear on various levels of administration and these initiatives cannot reach our main objective. We need a well-designed education program that would enable us to create a cohort of intellectuals in years as a prerequisite for the emergence of a middle class, the president of the RSG in Szeged stated in our interview. Institution(s): 1 University of Szeged, 2 Community Researchers for Sustainability (CRS), 3 Szeged Group of Protect the Future, 4 Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG) The PAR process The PAR work started at the beginning of This process is described in figure 1. Our work consists of three phases. The first phase of our work consisted of desk research and qualitative field research and can be called an expert-elite phase. The aim of this phase was to gain a basic understanding of the Roma community in Szeged in terms of their everyday life, their community, internal relations and problems, challenges they were facing. As the local CSO involved in PERARES did not have any previous experience, knowledge or relationship with the local Roma community, we had to first make contact with the local Roma community ( approaching the PAR partners in figure 1.) Two dozen semi-structured interviews were conducted in March and April of 2011 with members of the Roma elite : local Roma leaders, social workers, experts responsible for Roma issues in government institutions, representatives of civil organisations, the leaders of a school integration program, as well as other experts related to the field. Based on the interviews, we prepared a summary report of our findings broken down into thematic groups (e.g. housing, employment, discrimination). The summary report was sent to all of our interviewees and we invited them to a group discussion (forum). As we indicated in the invitation, our intention with the forum was to receive feedback from our interviewees. In addition, we were expecting suggestions on the topic(s) we should focus our scientific resources on for the interest of the Figure 1: The PAR process in Szeged, Hungary Roma population of Szeged. Participants of the forum were deeply interested and very active, and we reached our primary objective: we gathered research/project ideas for the upcoming phase of the work. The forum also contributed to further enhancing a mutual attitude of trust among the participants. Our first forum was followed by a second, with the aim of selecting one or two projects that we would realise and implement together with the stakeholders. Our team presented five ideas for discussion that had come up either in the interviews or during the first forum. The project idea of the establishment of an after- 10 Living Knowledge