Dear Friends,

The next larger gathering of the Global Alliance for Community Engaged Research will take place within the 5th Living Knowledge Conference May 10-12-Bonn, Germany.


Re-imagining Research Relationships
Co-creating Knowledge in a Democratic Society

5th Living Knowledge Conference: May 10 - 12, 2012 - Bonn, Germany (Gustav-Stresemann-Institut)
Science Shop Summer School, 8-9 May 2012 in   Bonn ,  Germany    

Over the past 10 years Science Shops and community-based research have found their place on the agenda of science policy-making. The forthcoming focus on innovation to guide research requires to re-imagine research relationships and see how knowledge co-creation can be advanced over the coming years. Where do we need to focus and which coalitions need to change? How can civil society fully participate in the current co-creation of knowledge. There is an ongoing interest in and attention given to the participation of citizens in community-based research in science-based policy processes and decision-making procedures. Consequently as a next step citizens and their organisations have to engage with research as equal partners and providers of knowledge and expertise. But how?  

In 2007 the European Research Advisory Board advised researchers to take "societal questions and concerns more into account." The benefit would be better adapted innovations and more reliable information on future needs. Recommendations given by the Board were to expose researchers to other perspectives of research and innovation by integrating engagement with societal actors into the university curriculum and to encourage engagement as a factor influencing a researcher’s career prospects. It also recommended to develop further mechanisms for societal actors to improve their research capacities, to encourage structures for partnerships between researchers and societal actors in research dialogue and to integrate societal actors into the various stages of research.[1]  

The 5th Living Knowledge Conference will focus on different themes to get more insight into processes, and develop specific policy recommendations that resonate with public concerns and articulated research needs. It will build on the experience and know-how of the previous LK Conferences in Leuven, Seville, Paris and Belfast. The conference will be an opportunity to bring together some of the key thinkers and practitioners both from civil society partners and  the academic/research community in the area of community based research, university/community partnerships and Science Shops, and aims at providing options and opportunities for collaboration, and ensuring that this area of work is prioritised on policy agendas both nationally and internationally.  

The 5th Living Knowledge Conference will also be a platform to exchange and discuss findings and results from the first half of the PERARES[2] project. PERARES strengthens public engagement in research (PER) by developing multi-annual action plans, involving researchers and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the formulation of research agendas and the research process. It uses debates on science to actively articulate research requests of civil society.  

The conference is hosted by the Wissenschaftsladen Bonn, a founding member of the International Science Shop Network and will provide an opportunity for policy makers, academics and civil society organisations to consider current practice and future opportunities in the field of research partnerships.    

A pre-conference Science Shop Summer School on developing researcher/civil society collaborations by using the Science Shop model will be organized from 8-9 May 2012. This is relevant to those that have no, or very limited experience with science shops or community-based research, or those that want to have a more structured overview of this work, or are planning to start a science shop or similar intermediary service themselves. 
 
Warm best wishes,

Budd


Professor
School of Public Administration
Secretary
Global Alliance on Community-Engaged Research
University of Victoria
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2
Canada
Phone: +1 250 721 8062
Web sites: http://bit.ly/klzW4T – Public Administration
www.communityresearchcanada.ca - GACER