Knowledge Mobilization Works

Living Knowledge - Building Partnerships for Public Access to Research

Newsletter – May 2006

Table of Contents
· Science Shop Summerschool
· 3rd International Living Knowledge Conference
· ISSNET Reports
· Science Shops in Belgium
· Sustainability of Cotton
· International Science Shop Cooperation – Science education and careers call
· International Science Shop Cooperation – Science Shop call
· Problems of Sustainable Water Management in Berlin ...
· Towards a Framework of ‘Cooperative Research’
· Science Shops: New Flyer, EU Website and Brochure
· Living Knowledge Database
· FAQs on Science Shops
· The DOTIK Training School
· Participatory Methods Toolkit
· Conferences
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Science Shop Summerschool

A four day introduction in Science Shops
22-25 August 2006, Utrecht (the Netherlands), Registration is open!!

The Science Shop summerschool is a four day course. It will focus on the concept of Science Shops and community-based research in general. Experienced science shop staff will discuss operational options and good practices, but also barriers in running a science shop. Local contexts are very important factors for the success of a science shop. Therefore an active contributions of participants is essential in the discussions. Clear links will be made to the EC Science and Society policy and other activities to improve citizens access to, and participation in research. Examples of different Science Shop models will be given and visits to different type of Science Shops will be organised.

The summer school addresses to 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. The course aims at introducing the operational options of Science Shops in order to support the establishment of community-based research organisations.

Deadline for registration is 1 July 2006. The fee of € 300,- includes course materials, Science Shop site visits and housing. Applications for scholarships are extended to 1 June 2006.

More information about the programme, housing, scholarships are available at www.livingknowledge.org or at the International Science Shop Contact Point (isso@bio.uu.nl), Utrecht University, Caspar de Bok, e-mail: C.F.M.deBok@uu.nl
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3rd International Living Knowledge Conference

30 August to 1 September 2007, Paris, France

At the beginning of February 2005 around 250 people from 30 countries all over the world participated in the 2nd ‚Living Knowledge‘ Conference in Seville, Spain. We can tell that there is a progress since this conference. There is a growing social demand in society for validation of existing knowledge and access to knowledge production and new Science Shops have emerged in different countries with a lot of enthusiasm.

The preparations for the 3rd Living Knowledge Conference now have started. This 3rd LK conference will be held in Paris, France, from August 30, 2007 until September 1, 2007. More details and requests for support will be announced on the Living Knowledge discussion list soon and will then also be available at the Living Knowledge website.

Printed copies of the Seville conference proceedings are still available. Please ask for a free copy by sending an e-mail to norbert.steinhaus@wilabonn.de or download the pdf-file at www.livingknowledge.org (follow reports-documentation-ISSNET).
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ISSNET Reports

The final version of the ISSNET WP4 report „Opportunities and challenges for transnational research co-operation“, and all other reports of the EC funded project ISSNET (Improving Science Shop Networking) are available online now. The pdf documents can be downloaded for free from the Living Knowledge website www.livingknowledge.org (see section News).
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Science Shops in Belgium

Thanks to the support of the Flemish authorities a network of university based Science Shops in Flanders has been created. The Belgian network of Science Shops consists of a central contact point, Wetenschapswinkel.be, and regional university based Science Shops: one at the Universiteit Antwerpen, one at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, one at the Universiteit Gent, one at the Universiteit Hasselt, one at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and one at the Katholieke Universiteit Brussel.

The central contact point will be managed by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. One of the tasks of this central contact point is to create a database which consists all the Science Shop topics of Flanders. The main benefit of working with a central unit is that with a minimum of costs we try to give a maximum service to the non-profit organizations and to our new coming Science Shops.

The purpose of our Belgian university based Science Shops is to seek scientifically founded answers in response to a problem experienced by a civil society organization. These problems are presented by the regional Science Shops to senior students by way of dissertation research, assignments, training sessions and/or internships or to experts through workshops, research support and research supervision. The regional Science Shop employee acts as a mediator between the organization who ordered the research, the student researcher and/or the expert.

Central support unit Science Shops Belgium Sofie Van Den Bossche, T +32 (0)2 629 22 24

info@wetenschapswinkel.be , www.scienceshops.be.

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department R&D, Science Communication Office, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Sustainability of cotton

On April 10 the Science Shop of Wageningen UR published a report about the sustainability of cotton. It is a comprehensive overview of scientific information available about the environmental and social sustainability of 3 types of production systems of cotton: conventional, IPM and organic. The study was commissioned by consumers’ organisation Goede Waar & Co. The report is in English and can be downloaded from the following web site: www.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/24D8701B-F547-4E5B-986E-1BD07BD2D263/21267/Rapport223binnenWEB.pdf
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International Science Shop Cooperation – Science education and careers call

EC opened negotiations about a proposal submitted in Science education and careers 2005

The Bonn Science Shop and the University of applied Science Höxter from Germany, Intermediu Bucharest and Intermediu Bacau from Romania and the Institute of Environmental and Landscape Management (ESSRG) from Gödöllo, Hungary, have submitted a proposal on the development of further vocational training for child minder and teachers at primary schools in the Science education and careers 2005 call, which closed 31 January 2006 (FP6-2005-Science-and-society-16). The EC accepted this proposal and invited the consortium for contract negotiations, which are still ongoing. For more information, please contact norbert.steinhaus@wilabonn.de
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International Science Shop Cooperation – Science Shop call

Projects submitted in the Science Shop call (FP6-2005-Science-and-society-20) are in the phase of evaluation now. To evaluate the success of this call it is important we have an overview of proposals that have been submitted but also of proposals that have not been submitted in the end. When the evaluation phase is passed, Living Knowledge members will be asked to give some general information about their activities in this call. This is not an EC initiative but an initiative of the International Science Shop Contact Point (isso@bio.uu.nl)
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Problems of sustainable water management in Berlin and Brandenburg – waste, steppefication and contamination?

... was the title of a thematic conference held on May 16, 2006 in Berlin. It was organised as a public discussion by two departments of the Centre for Cooperation of the Technical University Berlin: `KOOP´ (Cooperation Between Science and the Working World) and the Science Shop `kubus´ (Cooperation and Consulting for Environmental Questions). The conference was sponsored by the foundation `Hans Böckler Stiftung´ and attracted about 120 participants from a number of institutions, research institutes, enterprises, trade unions, NGOs and other associations.

The president of the Brandenburg Environmental Agency, Prof. Matthias Freude, presented warning signs of climatic change in this German state (located around the conurbation Berlin). Decreasing annual precipitation and ground water levels and the salinisation of water and soil are growing problems and may lead to the transformation of large areas of land into steppe (steppefication). Prof. Martin Kaupenjohann (TU Berlin) focused on current studies of “preferential flow” of e.g. phosphate and lead and the so-called “first flush” of storm water. These scientific results are of practical relevance for agricultural soils in Brandenburg (and even for foreign countries with a different climate, like Thailand) as well as for urban soils of Berlin and similar conurbation areas. The presentation of Prof. Matthias Koziol (TU Cottbus) emphasised the importance of water and land management in areas of decreasing population, as found in most parts of Eastern Germany due to the demographic change. Proposals were made for an appropriate management including technical modifications and changing the dimension of water supply systems. Dr. Simone Klawitter (Water Sanitation Livelihoods and Institution Building), Mr. Norbert Schmidt (Board Member of the Berlin Water Supply Company) and Ms. Susanne Stumpenhusen (Chairwoman of the Public Service Trade Union ver.di /Berlin-Brandenburg branch and Vice-Chairwoman of the Berlin Water Holding) presented facts and opinions about economic challenges for sustainable water management for this area. The final discussion brought together diverse statements and proposals for better cooperation among the different actors.

For more information in German, please visit www.herd-und-hof.de/index/cmd/catalogue_details/modul/portal/kernwert/landwirtschaft/block/catalogue_1 . If you would like to use our discussion forum but your German is not adequate for written comments, please click www.tu-berlin.de/zek/forum . Your contribution in English is welcome and it will be translated as soon as possible.
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Towards a framework for ‘co-operative research’

Report of European Commission workshop

We live in a time of ever-increasing opportunities and challenges associated with new science and technology. As a result, there is growing interest and attention to the relationships between research, innovation and society. Real contrasts and tensions emerge between high level policy agendas concerned with the ‘knowledge based society’, with the stewardship of ‘democratic governance’ and with the pursuit of ‘sustainability’ and ‘precaution’ in science and technology. In short, we need to move away from the somewhat fragmented, introspective and reactive preoccupations of science and society, to a more integrated, open and proactive understanding of the inescapable place of science in society.

The findings from intensive discussions at an innovative two-day ‘Gover’Science’ Seminar organised by the Governance and Scientific Advice Unit of DG RTD in November 2005 are now published in a report. The complete report will be posted soon on the Science and Society web-site and its content reflected as much as possible in the preparation of the 7th Framework Programme. The pdf-file of the report can be already downloaded from the CIPAST website (www.cipast.org/download/GoverScienceFinalReport.pdf ). You can download the executive summary of the report here (http://www.cipast.org/download/FROMSCIENCEANDSOCIETYTOSCIENCEINSOCIETY.pdf ).
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Science Shops:
New Flyer, EU Website and Brochure

The EC printed a new flyer on Science Shops. This flyer focuses on different target groups, universities, students, citizens groups and local authorities. The flyer can be downloaded from the Living Knowledge website (www.livingknowledge.org , see section News).

Printed copies can be ordered for free at the European Commission from liz.versterlund@cec.eu.int .

The new Science and Society portal of the European Commission was launched on 14 November 2005. It replaces the previous Science and Society website. The portal is open to all news and organisations related to Science and Society (http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/home_en.cfm).
Still available at the old EU website are specific pages with general information about Science Shops as well as the minutes and single contributions of two Science Shop workshops organised by the European Commission (http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/scientific-awareness/shops_en.html).
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Living Knowledge Database

Over the last few years, there have been many requests for an overview of organizations and people active in community-based research. The Living Knowledge database will fulfil these needs.

The Living Knowledge Database is a free, public accessible resource for Science Shops and alike organizations, community-based (research) organizations, universities and policy makers worldwide. It is searchable on (type of) organization, people, country and (thematic) expertise in community based research, all over the world.

If you are an active organization dealing with community-based research, you are invited to add your information to the Living Knowledge Database at www.livingknowledge.org.

Please send your remarks on or questions about the database to the International Science Shop Contact Point (isso@bio.uu.nl). We need your feedback to optimise the use of the database.
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Frequently asked questions on Science Shops

The EC project TRAMS will deliver training and mentoring tools to support new and existing Science Shops and alike organisations. One of these tools is the section Frequently Asked Questions on the Living Knowledge website (www.livingknowledge.org). This FAQ section is a dynamic section. It is not a final version; questions and answers will be added. If you have any additional answers please feel free to contribute to the development of this section. A printable version of this section will be available soon.
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The DOTIK Training School

A Eureopean masterclass on Science and Society for museum explainers

SISSA, Trieste, 28 August – 2 September 2006

The DOTIK training school is the first European Masterclass specifically addressing explainers, animators, demonstrators and all the personnel directly interacting with the public in science centres, science museums, science festivals. It aims at enhancing the role of explainers in science centres and museums, to act as a proactive, two-way interface between science and society.

The DOTIK training school will be held in Trieste, Italy, from August 28 to September 2, 2006, in the premises of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) and the Immaginario Scientifico Science Centre. The participation to the school is limited to 50 explainers from European science centres and museums. Participation is free of charge and travel grants will be awarded to small centres and new European countries. Detailed information and application forms can be found on the web site www.dotik.eu . Deadline for application is June 14, 2006.
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Participatory Methods Toolkit

A practitioner‘s methodological manual now also available in German

‚Participation‘ has become a buzzword in government statements and policy papers and the concept is being given concrete shape. But how can participation be organised? What methods are available and when and how are they applied? What are the implications for the budget and staff? To offer a few answers to these questions, the King Baudouin Foundation and viWTA (The Vlaams Instituut voor Wetenschappelijk en Technologisch Aspectenonderzoek, an independent and autonomous institute) publishe a toolkit on participatory methods which is now alos available in German. It contains a presentation of ten methods (e.g. World Café, Citizens‘ Jury, Consensus Conference, Expert Panel), a step-by-step, hands-on manual, with detailed checklists and realistic expectations of outcomes. You can download a free copy at http://www.viwta.be/files/30890_ToolkitENGdef.pdf (Englisch) or at http://epub.oeaw.ac.at/ita/ebooks/Leitfaden_pTA_DE_Feb06.pdf (German)
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Conferences

June 21-25, 2006, Glasgow,UK

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation,

6th CIVICUS World Assembly: Acting Together For a Just World

This Assembly will bring together over a thousand civil society representatives from around the world under the theme ‘Acting together for a just world’. Get involved by visiting our website for updates on: Conference Registration, Conference Programme, Exhibitor Opportunities, News, and Discussion Board at www.civicusassembly.org


July 15-19, 2006, Munich, Germany

European Science Open Forum

http://www.esof2006.org/



August 22-25 2006, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Science Shop summerschool
www.livingknowledge.org



August, 23-26 2006, Lausanne, Switzerland

EASST 2006; Reviewing humanness: bodies, technologies and spaces, http://www2.unil.ch/easst2006/



November, 3-4 2006, Heidelberg, Germany

Genes, Brain/Mind and Behaviour, EMBL/EMBO Science & Society conference at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, www.embl.org/conference2006/scope06