What are Science Shops?
Science shop is an initiative that brings science and society together. As part of the science shop's activities, representatives of the academic community offer their expert advice, research and analyses to the local community, NGOs and public institutions. Usually, as part of trilateral cooperation, students, researchers and an external partner work to solve diagnosed problems and challenges raised by external stakeholders. This form of cooperation is also part of the participatory trend of conducting research, in which participation in the research process is not reserved only for scientists, but citizens are also involved in it. Thus, it is also a great opportunity to popularise scientific knowledge.
How does the University of Lodz Science Hub fit into the concept of Science Shops?
The idea behind our hub is to connect, network and support the creation of scientific implementation projects that respond local and global challenges. The activities of the University of Lodz Science Hub use the model of the Science Shops and adapt it to the specifics of our university and the potential we have. Therefore, we not only implement pro bono projects (which is typical of Science Shops), but also commercial projects, which expands our portfolio of collaborative projects with external parties. Among the partners of the 40 projects which are currently underway at the University of Lodz Science Hub there are public institutions, foundations, associations, local governments but also companies. Some of the commercial entities have funded scholarships for students, as well as funded the implementation of advanced research procedures.
What is the benefit of joining the Living Knowlegde Network?
Working with partners from the Living Knowledge Network (https://livingknowledge.org/european-partners/) provides us with the opportunity to exchange experiences and establish valuable relationships for the further development of the University of Lodz Science Hub. The Living Knowledge Network also includes our strategic partner from the UNIC alliance – University College Cork, whose Science Shop has been operating for more than 10 years. We look forward to fruitful cooperation with our Irish partners in this field as well.
Where are we heading in the development of the University of Lodz Science Hub?
By developing the University of Lodz Science Hub, we are building structures for systemic internal and external networking, exchange of experiences, mutual inspiration and building a culture of innovation. We want to create and pave new paths that will make it easier for the University of Lodz academic community to establish cooperation in order to carry out scientific implementation projects, projects that will also go beyond discipline-specific cooperation and will take into account interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, inter-university and international activities. We hope that our activities will support the university in further development of activities related to its external relations and will provide valuable evidence of the impact on the environment.