Pre-conference

Science Shop Summer School:

It has become a tradition that the Living Knowledge Conference offers a Summer School on Science Shops in the pre-conference programme. This ‘crash course’ offers an overview of different ways to facilitate research with and for society through Science Shops or similar units. It is aimed at those who know little about Science Shops as well as those that want to broaden and deepen their knowledge. It will help you make the most out of the main conference.

This summer school is aimed at anyone who is interested in or want to become involved in facilitating research with and for civil society. If you have little or no experience in or knowledge of Science Shops or similar brokering organizations, and you want to learn more about them or gain insights from the practices of your colleagues elsewhere, we welcome you to this summer school. Participants will also get the chance to exchange experiences.

By participating in this ‘crash course’, you will be able to engage in follow-up discussions during the conference more easily. You will learn about different approaches to Science Shops, gain ideas of how to start one and learn from others about best practices to build trusting, ethical relationships with civil society. The workshop will be facilitated by Science Shop coordinators with long experience, from the Netherlands and other European countries. If you attend the Living Knowledge Conference afterwards, you can meet and talk with many more Science Shop staff from all around the world.

The following topics will be addressed:

  • Introducing the Concept of Science Shops
  • Working with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
  • Working with Higher Education Institutes
  • Operational options to design your Science Shop
  • Sustained Partnerships
  • Network and Practical Resources

Practical Information:

  • The summer school will be held on the Tuesday before the conference.
  • Registration is limited to 30 participants, selected on a first come, first serve basis. Those wishing to register for this workshop only (and not the Living Knowledge Conference) will be put on a waiting list first. They will be accepted after May 1st if there are places left.
  • During the Summer School, lunch will be reserved at Manekin, and the cost will be at the participants’ own expense.

Cost: 50 Euro per person; 75 euro for those not participating in the Living Knowledge Conference.

Participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

Your guides

henkmulder

Dr. Henk Mulder joined the Science Shop at the Science Faculty of the University of Groningen (NL) in 1989 and is also a senior lecturer, and former Programme Director of the Master Science Education and Communication. Henk has a long experience in research with and for civil society organizations and the co-creation of knowledge. His interests are public engagement in research, dialogues, science (communication) policies and European / international networking for citizen engagement in all phases of the (responsible) research and innovation process, including agenda-setting. He led the EU funded project “PERARES” and was partner in “Engage2020” and “ENLIGHT-RISE”, and is on various Advisory Panels. He has degrees in Chemistry and Energy and Environmental Sciences. In his free time, he plays drums and acts.

anna

Anna Schmidt-Fiedler, MA is a passionate advocate of social and green innovations and unconventional solutions. Committed to building collaborative networks and strengthening civic engagement of universities also within the Science Shop model. Initiator and implementer of national and international projects aligned with these themes. At Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL), she heads the Office for Social Innovation and Sustainable Development. She is also president of the Key 4 Tomorrow Foundation, which implements projects focused on local identity, ecology, history, and intercultural dialogue. In her free time, she plays bridge.

 

emma

Dr. Emma McKenna co-ordinates The Science Shop in Queen’s University Belfast. Her career has centred on building productive partnerships between communities and universities and advancing community engaged research and learning (CERL) and Science Shops across Europe. She is currently the UK lead on the EU Mission Project LOESS, enhancing soil literacy and education across 15 European countries, focusing on strengthening soil health education by embedding community research needs into university teaching. She has partnered in EC-funded projects since 2001, including leading EnRRICH (2015–2018) and co-ordinating CIRCLET (2019–2022). She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and in 2024 was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship. Her disciplinary background is in the social sciences.

sara

Sara Vantournhout, MA has been working at KU Leuven (Belgium) for over seven years. She spent five years developing and supporting the Service‑learning program, contributing to around 40 community‑engaged courses. For the past two years, she has been responsible for partnerships within KU Leuven Engage, a central service advancing KU Leuven’s societal mission around sustainability, solidarity, and inclusion, where she acts as a bridge between campus and community and fosters reciprocal university–society collaborations. Alongside her work in higher education, she has extensive experience in grassroots organizing for social justice in Belgium and Brooklyn, NY. Her passion for volunteering and social change has been a key driver in creating space for community engagement within academia.