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The European University of Post-Industrial Cities; Towards a collaborative approach and structure towards engaged research

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - UNIC4ER (The European University of Post-Industrial Cities; Towards a collaborative approach and structure towards engaged research)

Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-03-01 do 2024-08-31

The European University of Post-Industrial Cities (UNIC) began as an alliance of eight universities facing similar challenges related to mobility, inclusion, and societal impact. UNIC works to ensure social inclusion in university life within the broader context of super-diverse, post-industrial cities. To realize this ambition, UNIC for Engaged Research (UNIC4ER) actively co-created initiates between September 2021 until august 2024. UNIC4ER aims to contribute to excellent, democratic education and research to foster social inclusion and enhance positive societal impact. The concept of Engaged Research serves as an overarching guiding principle, capturing research approaches characterized by a shared interest in collaborative inquiry with societal actors as partners in the process (e.g. Citizen Science, Participatory Action Research). UNIC4ER works with and for society. The primary objective of UNIC4ER was to develop a common, alliance-wide framework that builds engaged research capacities across UNIC. It also seeks to provide support systems for involving city authorities and civil society in co-creative research and innovation efforts with a focus on positive societal impact.
UNIC4ER is strategically structured into six distinct work packages (WP), each with specific goals and achievements. This approach instills a collaborative effort to enhance engaged research within the UNIC4ER framework.

WP1 is defined by its co-creation approach to improving communication and dissemination efforts. Ad hoc workshops were held to build team cohesion and reinforce the long-term vision of UNIC4ER, ensuring all partners feel included and part of the project's success. Tools and resources were distributed across all partners, with outreach efforts extending to external events. A framework for exploring future activities within the broader UNIC project was established, supporting continuous development. Joint alliance events were hosted, and collaborative efforts on deliverables were conducted together with all SWAF alliances. A total of 52 projects were disseminated through the UNIC website, generating over 20,000 views and inspiring further research. In addition, three European events were held to celebrate and promote the engaged research initiative.

WP2 was dedicated to establishing a Strategy Forum to map and integrate engaged research (ER) policies, practices, and infrastructures within UNIC. One of the key outcomes was the launch of the first European Declaration of Engaged Research, a significant milestone that has influenced the vision of ER across the alliance and the municipalities. This forum built a shared understanding of ER, connecting it to the UNIC CityLabs framework.

WP3 developed accessible tools and resources to support engaged research. An engaged research toolkit was created, enhancing the capacity of scholars and researchers within the alliance. An international workshop on engaged teaching and learning was hosted, fostering an exchange of best practices. Six working conferences were organized, building a community of excellence around ER, mainly focusing on the inclusion of "non-traditional scholars" Infrastructure and support schemes were designed to encourage cross-national research collaboration, resulting in 52 engaged research projects funded and supported through the UNIC Seed Fund Mechanism.

WP4 was dedicated to operationalizing the engaged research strategy by establishing the Center for City Futures. This center plays a crucial role as a European infrastructure, connecting UNIC universities, cities, and urban communities in post-industrial research initiatives. The "UNIC4ER Meet the City" framework was developed and implemented, supporting 52 co-creation initiatives, including networking events, book projects, summer schools, and externally funded proposals.

WP5 was characterized by its focus on promoting open science. Through events, workshops, and training sessions, awareness of open science was significantly raised, with over 250 registrations and 1,000 views on the open science page within two months. The UNIC Virtual Campus research pillar was launched, providing an IT portal for researchers to network and collaborate through keyword searches and cooperation modes. A self-learning course on science communication was developed as part of the broader effort to democratize research and promote engaged science practices.

WP6 focused on monitoring and evaluation, developing a robust framework for assessing UNIC4ER activities. Data was collected from over 200 quantitative and qualitative respondents, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of progress. Inspiring campaigns were launched to motivate researchers toward greater engagement. The public-facing Pulse Dashboard was created and is regularly updated, providing ongoing insights and transparency regarding the project's development and achievements.

WP7 ensured that high ethical and security standards were upheld throughout the project. Specific measures were put in place for data usage, collection, storage, protection, retention, and destruction.
UNIC4ER’s Engaged Research Strategy and results significantly advanced engaged research practices in European higher education, integrating societal engagement into national, European, and global research and innovation (R&I). By integrating societal engagement into R&I, this project has set a new standard for innovation in the field. This was enhanced by several collaborative initiatives, like the European Network of Living Labs and other EU-funded networks like CATALISI. This approach promotes democratizing knowledge, decolonizing research, and fostering inclusivity. The establishment of a truly European infrastructure, which connects the eight UNIC universities, cities and their urban communities around engaged research into post-industrial transitions is a key element of the European ecosystem. This structure embeds societal issues into higher education research and drives inter- and transdisciplinary work on the challenges of UNIC cities. Key Achievements: 1. Increased Societal Engagement in excellent academic research trough co-creation with cities, government bodies and NGOs: UNIC4ER enabled over 160 collaborative projects addressing inclusion, health, digitalization, sustainable land use, and energy transitions. 2. Broader Cross-European Collaborations: Through 52 partnerships, the consortium advances solutions to urban mobility, housing, and sustainability, aligned with UNIC’s goals for societal impact. 3. Support for Non-Traditional Scholars: Inclusion of diverse scholars enriches research beyond traditional academia and fosters interdisciplinary exchange. 4. UNIC Center for City Futures as Sustainable Infrastructure: The Center facilitates ongoing collaborations between universities and cities, creating lasting contributions to the European R&I landscape. The center was successfully integrated in the UNIC’s goals to continue the development of transdisciplinary city-engaged research. 5. Enhanced Open Science Practices: UNIC4ER provides open access to research outputs, publications, and toolkits through its Open Science Campus. UNIC4ER’s benefits extend to job creation, economic growth, and innovations for societal challenges. The project has not only advanced research practices but also fostered a new understanding of how universities can collaborate with their communities to address real-world challenges.
UNIC4ER one pager august 2024