The Erasmus+ funded project Socially Engaged Universities (SEU) is aiming to explore different models of community university partnerships (CUPs) and to share experience and expertise of how European Universities can work with and for their local communities through “Third Mission” activities in addition to their core teaching and research tasks. Within the framework of City Deal on Education Delft, the knowledge broker was appointed to develop the City Lab Delft (Tanthof). Reflections on the role of the knowledge broker in its first 18 months of functioning are presented here. Different parties involved in two projects (cases) were interviewed to assess the benefits and challenges that were experienced with the position of the knowledge broker. We spoke with strategic advisors of the municipality, professionals from the neighborhood, and different representatives of the knowledge institutions. These parties were recommended by the knowledge broker. The question we tried to answer was: “What are the benefits and challenges of working with a knowledge broker, according to the three involved parties?” Different partners of the knowledge broker were interviewed between June 2020 and April 2021. For more information about the project please visit: www.seuproject.eu.
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In this paper we discuss the design process that took place while creating social software for Amsterdam University of Professional Education (AUPE) and the interactive knowledge platform, called ‘Theme-sites’. Themesites are used collaboratively by nine universities bound by a consortium, Digital University (DU). The DU is experimenting using communities of practice (CoPs) as a way to to stimulate the use of ICT in Higher Education. We describe the redesign, for which we used principles of design research (Col-lins et al., 2004). However in both described cases user experiences revealed that users have difficulties in getting actively involved in the knowledge portal. We propose how we might redesign the knowledge platform to support learning processes better, using theories like Wenger’s (1998) related to learning ar-chitectures. This paper aims at expanding design knowledge about knowledge portals and CoPs and dis-cusses the yet overseen critical design elements, like the brokering competences that facilitators need.
This paper analyses the ways in which informal mediation channels facilitate service delivery in the Citizen Service Bureaus at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and give rise to an interplay between formal and informal institutions. In particular, the personal backgrounds of brokers as informal mediators and how they ensure their acceptance amongst service seekers are explored. Further, the motivations of the service seekers to solicit help from these mediators as well as institutional responses from the municipal administration along with other relevant actors like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi are examined.
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The Northern Netherlands (NN) finds itself at the junction of all the big transitions. Digitalisation is essential to follow through with these. Considering this, our region has the potential to make sizeable progress if it can successfully roll out widespread digitalisation. As a hardcore transition economy, the NN may even join the European frontrunners and act as an example for other regions. It is from this challenge that the NN will start with the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH NN). We have chosen to specialise in the area of Autonomous Systems, which includes multiple digital technologies that are relevant for the four transitions in the NN: (1) Smart Agro, (2) Smart Manufacturing, (3) Life Science and Health and (4) Utilities, Built Environment and Mobility. In the first three-year EDIH NN wants to support more than 750 companies and lay the foundation for long-term support of all companies. The following building blocks for EDIH NN are: • A Brokerage network that will identify issues regarding digitalisation and relay these to Solution Providers (high TRL) and knowledge providers (low TRL). • A Test Before Invest network (test and demo facilities) comprising 20+ organisations that will invest in Autonomous Systems within their domain, and collaborate towards becoming a European testing ground. • A Smart Factory Accelerator to strengthen the digital maturity of companies. • An Empowerment programme to strengthen companies in the areas of DEP Technologies: Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence. • An approach based on High Performance Computing to make digitalisation more accessible. • The Smart Makers Academy: A programme aimed at matching supply and demand around digital skills, based on individual learning outcomes. • A Funding Readiness programme to help companies that need to invest for their digitalisation strategy, in finding funding opportunities. • A network to stimulate supply and demand around Autonomous Systems
Zowel bij ondernemers als onder kunstenaars zien we steeds meer initiatieven gericht op de ontwikkeling van een ‘volhoudbare’ economie. Partijen uit deze domeinen zoeken manieren om een generatieve economie te bewerkstelligen die – anders dan een extractieve economie (‘de economie van het leegtrekken’) – sociaal rechtvaardig en ecologisch duurzaam wil zijn. Omdat kunstenaars en ondernemers in hun zoektocht naar innovaties-met-impact verschillende kwaliteiten inbrengen, wordt veel verwacht van samenwerking tussen de twee sectoren. In de praktijk echter is synergie eerder regel dan uitzondering. De grote verschillen tussen de twee ‘innovatiesferen’ leiden vooralsnog tot meer gedoe dan complementariteit. In het vraagarticulatietraject dat ten grondslag ligt aan SUSTAIN kwam naar voren dat hier een belangrijke rol is weggelegd voor zogeheten innovatiebrokers: derde partijen die werelden van ondernemerschap en kunst op duurzame wijze met elkaar weten te verbinden. In SUSTAIN willen we de body of knowledge en het handelingsinstrumentarium van deze innovatiebrokers verrijken. Door met praktijkgericht onderzoek juist in deze beroepsgroep te investeren, hopen we een hefboomeffect richting de volhoudbare economie te creëren: we dragen bij aan de effectiviteit van de samenwerking tussen de innovatiesferen kunst en ondernemerschap. Onze hoofdvraag luidt: Wat kunnen innovatiebrokers op het snijvlak van kunst en ondernemen in de verschillende fases van het innovatietraject leren en doen om de synergie van de samenwerking tussen ondernemers en kunstenaars te vergroten en zo een duurzame bijdrage te leveren aan de transitie richting een volhoudbare economie? Gedurende het onderzoek ontwikkelen we een gefundeerd Brokers Kenniscanvas dat beschrijft welke vraagstukken zich aandienen in samenwerkingsverbanden tussen kunstenaars en ondernemers en hoe de innovatiebrokers die vraagstukken hanteerbaar en productief kunnen maken. We richten ons welbewust op het ‘gedoe’ in de samenwerking en ontwikkelen vóór en mét de innovatiebrokers kennis over hoe vandaaruit synergie te realiseren.
