Why this event now?
Like other institutions in the Netherlands and elsewhere, Erasmus University is at the crossroads of maintaining its commitment to fostering interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity, against the backdrop of budget cuts, hostile political sentiments, the discontinuation of strategic projects, and increasing calls –within and beyond our institutions—to go “back to basics”.
The key questions we are facing are:
How can we build on the careful and crucial work communities and colleagues at EUR have done?
How do we maintain the meaningful relations and networks we’ve built?
And how do we secure the sustainability of our impact?
Since their inception in 2017, the four Erasmus Initiatives have been trying to secure spaces and places of collaboration within and beyond our institutions. And we have considered it our responsibility to facilitate critical and constructive reflection, bring together different experiences and knowledges, and organize for sustainable impact. That is why we organize this event now, at this critical moment and junction, inviting all of you committed to or concerned about the future of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity to help (re-)build the movement for sustainable impact at EUR.
This includes:
Organising sustainable impact
With funding becoming increasingly fragmented and time-limited, many successful initiatives struggle to maintain momentum and institutionalize their practices. How can we make sure that our interdisciplinary collaborations, stakeholder engagement, and the creation of networks with external organizations can be transformed into sustainable, routinized practices?
With: Jiska Engelbert (VCC), Lieselot Bisschop (DoIP), Shiwei Chen, Seline Westerhof (VCC) and Jelle Burger (TU Delft).
Interdisciplinary bites?
Interdisciplinary research holds tremendous promise, but it is also fraught with challenges: differences in disciplinary language, methodologies, and frameworks can hinder collaboration, while institutional barriers and funding structures may complicate interdisciplinary projects.
With: Eliana Bergamin (AiPact), Jannes ten Berge (AiPact), Conrad Heilmann (DoIP), Marta Szymanowska (DoIP), Isabel Awad (VCC) and Adriaan Odendaal (AiPact), Joost Oude Groeniger (SCBH).
How to get engagement right?
How can research, ethical frameworks and stakeholder collaboration align to foster meaningful, equitable, and lasting change in society? Effectively engaging stakeholders while adhering to ethical principles can profoundly shape outcomes, ensuring that initiatives not only succeed but also contribute to the well-being of society.
With: Julia Wittmayer (VCC), Bastian Ravesteijn (SCBH), Jan Fransen (VCC), Francisca Gromme (AiPact), Justien Dingelstad (AiPact) and Annabel Vreeker (VCC).
Programme
| 12.00-13.30 | Welcome & lunch | ||
| 13.30-15.00 | Organising sustainable impact | Interdisciplinarity bites? | How to get engagement right? |
| 15.00-15.30 | Break | ||
| 15.30-16.30 | Plenary | ||
| 16.30 | Reception |
The Erasmus Initiatives are four ambitious programmes that streamline our academic activities to increase the social and economic impact of our work.
The Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity focuses on enabling as many people as possible to benefit from increasing prosperity, whilst minimising the negative consequences. The researchers develop understanding of inclusive prosperity, expose its drivers, and shows how this knowledge can be used to effectively address contemporary societal challenges in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
DoIP’s activities focus on the following three themes.
- Leveraging Inclusive Cities
- Sustainability and Ecological Inclusion
- Inclusive Financial Systems
DoIP brings together scholars in law, business and philosophy. This combination of academic expertise puts it in an excellent position to study how in a context that is “oriented” by different layers of legislation and (self) regulation, public and private sector actors can interact to leverage inclusive prosperity.
The Erasmus Initiative Smarter Choices for Better Health (SCBH) aims to help people live longer, healthier lives, promote greater health equity, and ensure that healthcare remains affordable and accessible in the long term. Researchers involved in this initiative focus on four key sub-themes:
- Prevention
- Value Based healthcare
- Health evaluation
- Equity
SCBH is a collaboration between Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus School of Economics and Erasmus MC.
With the Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens (VCC) Erasmus University Rotterdam wants to help improve the quality of life in cities. In vital cities, the population can achieve their life goals through education, useful work and participation in public life. The vital city is a platform for creativity and diversity, a safe meeting place for different social groups. The researchers involved focus on one of the four sub-themes:
- Inclusive Cities and Diversity
- Resilient Cities and People
- Smart Cities and Communities
- Sustainable and Just Cities
VCC is a collaboration between Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) and International Institute of Social Studies (ISS).