In exploring Swedish cases, this study adds to the research stream on gender in regional innovation systems that was established by Scandinavian scholars. In this chapter, the experiences from Gender Contact Point and The Gender Academy are harnessed with the purpose of advancing knowledge on how the societal impact and the societal relevance of research on gender issues may be reinforced by co- creative platforms for academia- society cooperation. They do this by emphasizing the potential of gender studies to improve organizational competitiveness, innovativeness and attractiveness, on the one hand, while advancing academic knowledge on mechanisms for organizational and societal transformation, on the other. Both struggle, however, to bridge the critical agenda of the researchers and the constructive agendas of the stakeholders. Our study reveals that both platforms engage researchers and stakeholders in innovation processes of joint identification, exploration and solution of societal and organizational challenges, as is common in social innovation. Previous studies in the field of social innovation help distinguish mechanisms for organizational and societal transformation in these constellations. This study investigates two Swedish cases – The Gender Academy and Gender Contact Point – in order to scrutinize if, and if so how, the societal impact of gender studies may be reinforced by platforms for academia-society collaboration. Finally, our literature review points to the need for further research on the hybrid governance approaches displayed by LLs, particularly looking at the roles and responsibilities of academics involved in managing LL initiatives. LLs require their host universities to intensify the relationships with their stakeholders and work on capacity building and focus on inter- and transdisciplinary research methodologies. Our findings show that LLs are developing from bottom-up initiatives, often at the fringe of higher education institutions, towards more self-standing entities implementing strategies to undertake social outreach activities. Following PRISMA guidelines for a systematic literature review (SLR), we analyzed journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters published between 20, capturing 93 university-governed LL experiences from across the world. In this systematic literature review, we summarize the existing knowledge on how universities shape and manage the LLs they are associated with and how they align with their core missions of education and research and-in particular-their social missions. Living labs (LLs) have emerged as an interface for higher education institutions to collaborate with companies, citizens, non-profit and government organizations to address a variety of problems around social challenges and sustainable development. We conclude by gathering some crucial questions facing contemporary Living Labs. On the basis of a literature review, we untangle and describe the three main facets of the Living Lab concept: as a setting for in vivo experimentation on social systems, for innovation and product development approaches involving users, and for innovation systems. At the same time, we pinpoint and examine some contributions of and challenges for Living Labs. We demonstrate the framework’s analytical power to uncover and articulate contributions and challenges inherent to the ‘social dimension’ of innovation. Applying a framework that supports the description of such social configurations and that focuses on barriers manifested by motivational and cognitive asymmetries between actors, we analyse the contributions and impediments to innovation and identify the problems that characterise innovation in Living Labs. The innovative potential of Living Labs is based on new social configurations for organising innovation. Since their official launch in 2006, over one hundred Living Labs have been established and networked to tackle Europe’s declining economic competitiveness and societal challenges.
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