Session 6.1
Tangible Infrastructures for Living Labs
Christian Berkes, Prof. Dr. Antje Michel, Ronja Rohr
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany
We propose a pre-crafted format that explores contradictions, purposes and implementations of sustainable infrastructures in living labs for medium-sized towns in germany. As part of such transdisciplinary infrastructures, the format becomes foundation, transmitter and object of discussion, inviting long-term exchange to make living lab structures more tangible.
Motivation and Purpose
MaaS L.A.B.S. develops and tests approaches for sustainable mobility in a living lab in Potsdam, Germany. As this cross-sectoral challenge cannot be met by monodisciplinary research, various actors from the scientific, private and public sectors are involved. The lab extends the boundaries of academic work through learning formats and experimentation spaces.
The project considers transdisciplinarity a research mode supported by methods of knowledge transfer, management and integration. This results in two research perspectives: transformative research, that addresses societal challenges by creating actionable knowledge, and transformation research, which explores processes of change and their transferability.
Here we identified methodological contradictions and would like to suggest some coping mechanisms. Those approaches are field-tested with academic and non-academic partners.
a) Limitation vs. Sustainability – Infrastructure Approach
Living labs are limited spatially and thematically by definition. The MaaS L.A.B.S. innovations exist independent of the duration of the one specific living lab. Otherwise the developed transdisciplinary processes would risk not to be usable after the end of the project. So we decoupled them as an open TD-infrastructure, that can exist beyond those boundaries.
b) Hiddenness vs. Tangibility – Visualization Approach
The public focus of living labs lies mainly on innovations and their test procedures. Needed infrastructures, in contrast, remain usually hidden. To make them usable, they must be designed in ways that directly connect to the actors' practice. By making processes and methods visible and actor-specific, they become tangible and customizable.
c) Specificity vs. Transferability – Network Approach
Living labs operate within a specific content-driven framework. That means, there is a lack of comparability and transferability, forcing living labs to develop individual methods from scratch. To allow for this transfer and scaling, the contextual findings need to be generalized. By actively exchanging and developing tools with other living labs transdisciplinarity can be fostered and integrated more deeply into the infrastructures.
Toolbox as Living Lab Infrastructure
Using those mechanisms MaaS L.A.B.S. is developing a toolbox, which can be adapted as a flexible framework. It is understood as a living lab infrastructure because it is open for different uses, enables other processes and will persist across our specific spatial and thematic contexts.The living lab findings will be presented on an open platform, ensuring connectivity through standardization, visualization and practical relevance. As a decoupled collection, the toolbox offers methods, best practices and instructions for transdisciplinary work. Future living labs can build on this infrastructure and move into action more rapidly.
Our format introduces the concept and functions of the living lab toolbox. The format itself should have a long-term and cross-border impact by being reused in different settings. Recipients can directly interact with the format. As information and hybrid reaction format, it is part of the toolbox. In an asynchronous exchange its contents shall be discussed, criticized and further developed also after the ITD21 conference. That way, the format will create a feedback circle between TD theories, practices, formats and people.
The CareLab for People and Planet – a photovoice approach for creating a transformative learning space at a Portuguese Higher Education Institution
Antje Disterheft, Tomás B. Ramos
CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal
Sustainability is inherently linked to questions of relationship: How do we relate to ourselves and to the world around us, and how can we enhance our transformative capacity to thrive within the planetary boundaries? In the current times of multiples crises, e.g. the climate crisis, the pandemic due to COVID19, as well a global crisis of trust, the aspects of intertwined inner and outer care are highly relevant: The personal care for ourselves (physical, emotional and mental care) will impact and reflect the care for our communities and environment and draws on the social-ecological system perspective. With the aim to focus on the links between care and sustainability, an inter- and transdisciplinary learning space is currently being created at a Portuguese higher education institution: the CareLab for People and Planet at NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon. This space strives for transformative capacity building, combining in particular aspects of inner and outer sustainability (Pereira et al, 2018; Ives et al., 2020) and seeks to integrate participatory action research, experiential learning and co-creation in order to provide meaningful training opportunities and reflections on personal development as cornerstones for capacity building. The overall concept of a caring mindset (Moriggi et al. 2020) shall serve as an umbrella to inspire the activities to unfold in such a space. In the current preparatory phase for the first semester of activities, a photovoice approach (Wang et al. 1997) was chosen to explore values of care of the campus community and create the ground for dialogue and reflection on the questions: (1) “What do I do to take care of myself?” and (2) “What helps me to take care of the planet?”. Photographs and audio-records of the participants (students, staff (i.e. administrative, catering, cleaning, teaching, technical staff), staff, suppliers and local neighbours of the faculty) were taken and summarized into a 6 min. video, integrating the answers into the theoretical and conceptual framing of the CareLab. The video concludes with an invitation to explore the links between care and inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and broadens the debate on agency and capacity building.
References
Ives, C.D., Freeth, R., and Fischer, J. (2020). Inside-out Sustainability: The Neglect of Inner Worlds. Ambio, 49(1), 208-217. doi: 10.1007/s13280-019-01187-w
Moriggi, A., Soini, K., Franklin, A., and Roep, D. (2020). A Care-Based Approach to Transformative Change: Ethically-Informed Practices, Relational Response-Ability & Emotional Awareness. Ethics, Policy & Environment, 1-18. doi: 10.1080/21550085.2020.1848186
Pereira, L.M., Karpouzoglou, T., Frantzeskaki, N., and Olsson, P. (2018). Designing Transformative Spaces for Sustainability in Social-Ecological Systems. Ecology and Society, 23(4). doi: 10.2307/26796848
Wang, C., and Burris, M.A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment. Health Education & Behavior, 24(3), 369-387. doi: 10.1177/109019819702400309
Laboratorio de diagnóstico COVID-19 en el CAMPUS Interinstitucional de Tacuarembó
Gustavo Ferreira 1, anecdotario Casnati 2, Gabriela Nogueira 3, Julio Sayes 4
1 Universidad de la República / Centro Universitario Regional Noreste/ Sede Tacuarembó / Departamento de Ciencias Económicas; 2 Universidad de la República / Centro Universitario Regional Noreste / Sede Tacuarembó; 3 Universidad de la República / Centro Universitario Regional Noreste/ Sede Tacuarembó / Departamento de Ciencias Económicas, Uruguay; 4 Universidad de la República / Centro Universitario Regional Noreste / Sede Tacuarembó / IIDIS
Nunca el ritmo de cambio ha sido tan rápido, el COVID-19 ha desafiado el sistema de ciencia y tecnología de todos los países, así como el sistema de salud y políticas.
El 31 de diciembre de 2019, las autoridades chinas notificaron al punto focal del Reglamento Sanitario Internacional (RSI) de la Oficina Regional de la OMS para el Pacífico Occidental sobre la declaración de prensa de la Comisión Municipal de Salud de Wuhan sobre los primeros casos de COVID-19. Desde ese anuncio, el virus se ha propagado rápidamente y se ha reconocido la situación de la pandemia. Los primeros casos en Uruguay se reportaron el 13 de mayo de 2020.
Los desafíos del COVID-19 potencian a los equipos multidisciplinarios y transdisciplinarios que trabajan en una experiencia sin precedentes. Un grupo de aproximadamente 60 científicos, de diferentes áreas de conocimiento como especialistas en medicina interna, familiar y comunitaria, epidemiólogos, matemáticos, virólogos, unen fuerzas para asesorar al gobierno uruguayo en el control del COVID-19.
Desde un enfoque holístico se hace más evidente la necesidad de generar procesos de trabajo más participativos e inclusivos para empoderar a ciudadanos, científicos y tomadores de decisiones juntos en un diálogo de conocimiento, para abordar mejor tanto los problemas del COVID-19 como las posibles soluciones e interacciones que existen a nivel social, ambiental, económico e institucional.
Presentaremos, un breve currículum del Webinar organizado el4 de diciembre de 2020, por el Nodo Latinoamericano de Estudios Interdisciplinarios y Transdisciplinarios (ESIT), el Departamento de Economía del Centro Universitario Regional del Nordeste y la seccional Tacuarembó de la Universidad de la República (UDELAR), el Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Agropecuarias y Pesqueras (MGAP-DILAVE) y gobierno de Tacuarembó con el apoyo del Consejo Nacional de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONICYT).
Esa experiencia demuestra el valor y la importancia de haber asentado un campus interinstitucional de recursos humanos altamente capacitados en diferentesdisciplinas,así como compartir equipos e infraestructura de laboratorio y logística.
El webinar ha sido un instrumento clave para valorar la experiencia de Uruguay en el frente a la pandemia. La iniciativa del laboratorio de diagnóstico covid-19 en el CAMPUS Interinstitucional de Tacuarembó está alineada con la estrategia que el país ha definido -a nivel nacional y regional- para enfrentar esta situación de emergencia,destacando el trabajo interinstitucional, interdisciplinario y transdisciplinario de los actores en ambos niveles.
A través de la discusión se destacó la importancia de la búsqueda de sinergias interinstitucionales que permitan la formación de diálogo de conocimiento crítico entre los equipos de trabajo y el trabajo conjunto en grupos de equipos transdisciplinarios, multidisciplinarios e interdisciplinarios. Eso, aumentar la inteligencia colectiva y el diálogo de conocimiento a través de la potenciación de los procesos de integración, cohesión y articulación, con el fin de contar con un instrumento que permita ampliar la visión, visibilidad de la universidad en busca de soluciones reales para la sociedad.
El reto es desarrollar un sistema de evaluación que pueda fortalecer los grupos de equipos interdisciplinarios y transdisciplinarios entre un grupo muy amplio de ciudadanos, científicos, gobierno, parlamento, académicos, empresarios, sector público y privado.