by Free-Photos, Pixabay licence (https://bit.ly/3zcdv5a)

Working group for synergies and innovation

Orchestration:
Eveline Wandl-Vogt (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Austrian Academy of Sciences
Thomas Jekel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), c/o Universität Wien, Institute for Geography and Regional Research
Christoph Kremer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Ars Electronica Center – Museum of the Future

Partners:

  • Ars Electronica, Ars Electronica Research Institute Knowledge for humanity
  • Knowledge for Development
  • Community Creates Mobility
  • School of Knowledge Science with Museum of Knowledge Sciences
  • SciTechArt - Verein für Wissenschaftliche und Technologische Kunst
  • Spotteron

The number of citizen science and crowd projects is increasing steadily in Austria and worldwide. The actors in the projects are becoming more diverse, the structures of action more complex. This also increases the importance of social networks and the developed technical applications in everyday research, for example to save resources, to increase the number of users of existing tools or to develop an innovative problem-solving project with the
right partners.

Therefore, the exchange between projects and the exploration of possible synergies should be in the foreground within the working group for synergies and innovation. Although Citizen Science occurs in very different disciplines, workflows are quite similar
and multidisciplinary learning can take place in all areas, and the adaptation of tools also seems possible and useful. Most innovation takes place by imitating and transferring proven methods to new areas of application. This stimulates cooperation across
disciplines and existing social groups, which is also intended to strengthen the interdisciplinary character of Citizen Science.

The working group aims at the systematic development of knowledge partnerships. Existing networks should be made more visible and existing tools more available. In addition, we want to discuss where there is a need for new developments or the further development
of existing tools and which partnerships and processes are necessary in order to be able to work together in a goal-oriented and result-oriented manner. The working group addresses educational needs and further training needs for Citizen Science.

Against this background, joint actions are to be taken, especially in the areas of inclusion, sustainability and social innovation, which contribute to a teaching-learning Innovation Environment.

It is therefore the goals of the working group:

  • Developing a teaching-learning ecosystem for Sustainability Transition with a special focus on mobility, technology, culture and art as a demonstrator in the Open Innovation Research Infrastructure docking to
    the ÖAW's exploration space and the Ars Electronica Research Institute knowledge for humanity
  • Providing a series of interventions and experimentation opportunities with suitable partner institutions and projects
  • Determination of synergies and opportunities for cooperation between people / projects / institutions
  • Identifying challenges and innovation potential
  • Design and documentation of best practices for knowledge partnerships
  • Further development of data-driven citizen science and experimentation with problem-based citizen innovation
  • Formation of knowledge partnerships; Creating a framework in which to work together
  • Proactive linkinkg of all actors in society
  • Close cooperation with other working groups, especially Citizen Science at / with schools, working group DACH
  • Linking the current projects to European / global infrastructure initiatives to utilize existing potential