On Thursday, March 13, 75 researchers, students, and stakeholders gathered at Erasmus University for a crucial conversation on the future of engaged and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and education. During three simultaneous sessions, participants discussed organising sustainable impact, interdisciplinarity as a concept, and engagement.
Exploring Engagement: Overcoming ‘Us vs. Them’
The three parallel sessions kicked off after lunch and a word of welcome from dr. Jiska Engelbert. In the serre of the Erasmus Pavilion, participants got together for a session on engagement. Following three presentations, attendees formed groups to share challenges and strategies for fostering meaningful collaboration. Dr. Jan Fransen captured a key takeaway: “Right now, it feels like it’s very much about ‘us’ and ‘them’. As researchers, we want to do things our way, but when a company has a completely different approach, that can be tough.” The proposed solution? “Shifting towards more ‘team science,’ where scientists and stakeholders truly collaborate, attempting to set differences aside.”
The Challenges of Interdisciplinarity: Feeling ‘Homeless’ in Academia
Another session took place in the theatre, where PhD students and senior and junior researchers got together to discuss the complexities of interdisciplinarity. Eliana Bergamin MSc summarises the struggles well: “We came to the conclusion that interdisciplinarity can feel like leaving your country. It can be very exciting to start working with different disciplines, but you often literally speak in different languages. Over time, interdisciplinary researchers can start feeling ‘homeless’; they have become distant from their original discipline, without finding a new one to call their own.”
Organising Sustainable Impact: Make it easier to climb the stairs
The Langeveld Building set the stage for discussions on organising sustainable impact. Prof.dr. Lieselot Bisschop, a criminologist researching industrial harm and organised crime, shared insights from her work with many different partners, including government organisations. “You often have to hold them a mirror they don’t like,” she explained. “But it has to be done if you want to make a sustainable and meaningful impact.”
Dr. Shiwei Chen introduced the metaphor of an escalator. “In the Mandeville Building, the escalator is the first thing you see, while the staircase is hidden from view, so we naturally opt for the escalator. The same applies to engaged research and education. To drive real behavioural change, the environment itself must be adjusted. University infrastructure needs to be improved to facilitate engaged research in an ethical, responsible, and effective way.”
Plenary Session: Insights from the City Panel
Following a coffee break, all participants got together for a plenary session to share their insights. Among the special guests were six city rapporteurs from the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperation, who attended the sessions and offered a critical perspective on the event and the university’s role in their community. They highlighted the impact of Erasmus University researchers and students studying their neighbourhood. Their findings will be compiled into an advisory report, which will be shared in the near future. The rector concluded the session and promised to take the perspectives shared by the panel members, both from Erasmus University and the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperation, to heart.
Looking Ahead: Continuing the Conversation
The day ended over drinks and snacks, but the discussions sparked at the event will continue serving as a foundation for building more collaborative and impactful research in the coming years.
This event was organised by the Erasmus Initiatives
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