Science Shops Knowledge for the Community

Science Shops " knowledge for the community EUR 20877 Table of contents Foreword . .3 Rainer Gerold, Science and Society Director at the European Commission’s Research Directorate-General, shares his thoughts on science shops Community service . .4 An introduction to science shops Behind the counter . .5 The inner workings of science shops Science shops in action . .6 A behind-the-scenes tour of science shops and other community structures in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom Talking shops . .10 Experts and prominent officials share their views on the role of science shops in Europe and beyond The rewards of community work . .12 What draws researchers to volunteer their time and effort for science shops Europe: international trendsetter . .13 A look at the community-based research movements in the United States and Canada and how European science shops helped shape their transatlantic counterparts Activities funded by the Commission . .15 Outlines the different ways in which the European Commission supports science shops Setting up shop . .16 New science shops often receive a helping hand from their established ‘cousins’ Useful information . .18 2 The ISSNET network and other useful information Science Shops Foreword here are more scientists in the world corridors of the research community for The European Union is not just about insti- T today than ever before and we depend science to better serve the citizen. However, tution building and bringing Member States on science and its applications in almost in order to serve the community, science closer together, it is also about bringing every aspect of our lives, yet we do not needs to get closer to it. Europe closer to its citizens. Consequently, always appreciate how intimately it affects There is still a long way to go but, in recent its research programmes are keen to each of us. years, science has slowly but surely started promote partnerships and knowledge for Although researchers are successfully inte- to engage in a dialogue with society and to living. grating their efforts at a European and even respond to its needs. Scientists are keener Recognising the crucial role science shops global level to address the increasing com- than ever to communicate their ideas in a play in the local community in raising scien- plexity of scientific inquiry, there appears to way that others can understand, and there tific access and awareness, the European be a yawning gap between science and is an increasing willingness to listen to the Commission has been helping this move- society at large. world beyond the research community. ment evolve and reach critical mass. Many people see scientists as inhabitants of In the coming pages, you will learn more By cutting away the layers separating a strange parallel world that bears little about dedicated and tireless researchers science and society, science shops are resemblance to their own. This is reflected who have set up shop directly within the helping to pave the way towards ‘science for in the EU-wide Eurobarometer surveys in community as part of grass-roots research society’ and ‘society for science’. which nearly half of Europeans claim they organisations known as ‘science shops’, feel neither interested in nor informed about which answer the scientific requirements science. of local citizens and NGOs and help create There is a growing feeling that scientific an awareness of society’s needs. research is aimed at abstract knowledge or This brochure also explores other local com- Rainer Gerold profit and not sufficiently geared towards munity organisations that complement the Science and Society Director the needs and concerns of society. Calls are work of science shops and are candidates Research Directorate-General ringing out across society and in the for valuable future partnerships. European Commission 3 Science Shops own research needs which conventional channels may not necessarily be able to Community service meet. This makes these non-profit research bodies an important interface in meeting the In the three decades since they first emerged, science shops have increasing social demand for knowledge. spread beyond the shores of Europe to become an international Despite their global reach, science shops are phenomenon that is firmly rooted in the local community and, essentially local organisations, working most importantly, serving local needs. within local conditions to serve local needs. In finding solutions to grass-roots problems, cience shops stand at the junction where staff, they aimed to increase the influence of they cut across social, disciplinary and gen- Sscience meets society, and deal with civil society within academic circles and to der divides. practical problems – for example, pro- forge better links between citizen groups and Although this makes for a wide spectrum of tecting local jobs by investigating ways for a scientists, such as working on soil pollution. approaches, science shops have consistently factory to comply with pollution standards, Within ten years, the idea had spread right been found to be a very cost-effective or finding technological solutions to help across the country from its cradle in Utrecht method of giving society access to research. disabled people live independent lives. and Amsterdam where it had started out as Today, science shops can be found in more a simple cardboard box for posting ques- The European dimension than a dozen countries. Austria, Belgium, tions. Every single university in the With the help of the European Commission, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Netherlands set up one or more science science shops have managed to organise Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom are shops as university departments with both themselves into a Europe-based global net- among the European countries which have paid and volunteer staff. By 1990, the coun- work through which they can share research, taken up the concept. Canada, Israel and the try had almost 40 of them. know-how and expertise. United States count among the non- Inspired by the Dutch experience, science Not only has this enabled them to make the European countries that have developed shops and similar structures sprouted up in most of scarce research capacity, but it has similar structures. other countries in two main waves: the first also helped new science shops to emerge. In in the late 1970s and the second in the 1990s. addition, international networks of science Full of youth spirit As the idea spread, it changed and evolved shops may influence the research agenda The science shop concept began life in the to fit local conditions and needs. itself by conveying the needs of society to student movement and counter-culture of the scientific community. the early 1970s when a group of Dutch Local mandates As a result of this renewed momentum, sci- chemistry students decided to put their The spread of science shops not only high- ence shops are scarcely able to keep up with brains together to help non-profit clients lights their success in serving the community demand, and some shops are only able to 4 solve scientific problems. Aided by university but also underscores that civil society has its handle a third of the requests they receive. Science Shops exists. If they find the information, they communicate it to their client; otherwise they Behind the counter may carry out the research or have it carried out on the client’s behalf. Science shops are as diverse as the communities with International networking – under the EU- which they work. Although they are spread across the backed ISSNET – facilitates exchange of globe, they are not chain stores with one standard format. information and expertise between science In fact, they are not really shops at all. shops. At the end of the process, the knowledge generated is geared to the requirements of civil society. This can take the form wo common elements they all share are mediators linking up civil society and scien- of new or recombined knowledge. But the Tthat they serve ‘clients’ from civil society tists. Science shops use the word science in role of science shops does not end there. or the local community, and they do not aim its broadest sense. They help citizens and NGOs – their cus- to make a profit. Most provide their services Their activities cover such disciplines as the tomers – make the maximum use of the free of charge and some for a nominal fee to social and human sciences, as well as results. help cover expenses. physics, engineering, chemistry and biology. As science shops have grown, they have “Science shops exist in a wide range of In order to respond to the complex social become more mainstream. They are becom- shapes and sizes, but they share a common demands placed on them, research con- ing increasingly networked and work more desire to extend research support to socially ducted by science shops often cuts across closely with the research and political estab- marginalised groups,” explains a special EU traditional academic boundaries. lishments. Since the 1970s, they have 1 report on the subject . To keep costs down, One key element distinguishing science focused their efforts on a range of social and most rely on volunteer researchers and have shops from other knowledge transfer mech- humanitarian issues. They carry out research only a small skeleton staff of paid employees. anisms is their bottom-up approach. They into areas such as measuring the effects of University-based science shops usually are built around the concept of participation. air and noise pollution, as well as investigat- award credit points to those students who Their role is to contribute to identifying civil ing social and environmental problems. perform the research as part of their society’s needs for expertise and knowledge, In addition to their research role, science academic studies.

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