Oskar Jonsson, researcher affiliated with CASE, is the activity coordinator for the initiative.
- The initiative's many regular activities have led to a great deal of mutual learning for researchers and external actors. This has led to ideas for research projects being generated and realized.
60 applications granted
More than 60 applications have been granted funding from various funding agencies. In most cases, LU has been the main applicant.
- But there are exceptions - for example, the city of Helsingborg is the main applicant for a large project. The funds have been granted from state research councils, foundations, international research funders and Lund University, says Oskar Jonsson.
Challenges regarding time and resources
Of course, there are challenges in the area of collaboration.
- For example, the importance of really meeting on equal terms without differences in status, time and resources. Several parties have mentioned the academic language as a significant challenge and that the time required to carry out research is frustrating - they want results that can be quickly translated into practical activities. Another thing is that staff quit or are newly hired, reorganisations are carried out, and knowledge is lost due to such changes.
New forms of meetings during the pandemic
The pandemic has meant that new forms of meeting have been forced to develop, and this has been a challenge, especially for some of the older participants. At the same time, it has also led to learning when it comes to working digitally.
- The researchers have learned more about appropriate ways to involve, listen to, confirm and make visible external actors, utilize their knowledge, summarize, provide feedback and clarify their different roles. External actors have gained an increased ability to understand how research is conducted, critically evaluate and translate various forms of knowledge and research results into practice, he says.
He is also pleased with the financial outcome of the initiative.
- Our initiative has contributed to more than SEK 70,000,000 in external financing for new projects since 2018.
Outreach
Outreach activities such as open seminars and workshops, the recurring CASE Day, events during Future Week 2021 and inaugurations of infrastructure have also been carried out. For example, a total of 212 people active in 48 of the country's 290 municipalities participated in CASE Web Days 2021.
- We have also produced a number of outreach initiatives such as popular science literature, debate articles, reports and consultative opinions where the senders were researchers or external parties within our initiative.
Improved accessibility
New processes and products have been developed together with various constellations of actors outside the university.
An example is a project on improved accessibility in family houses where a computer-based tool has been developed, tested and evaluated in collaboration with Karlshamnsbostäder AB and the software company miThings.
Want to learn more about collaboration
The initiative is now working on an extension application for another two years, which will be based on the 3-year evaluation.
- We would like to continue for another two years to be able to achieve a more integrated form of collaboration with combined employment within the university and external organizations, follow-up research, stimulate collaboration between the external parties, courses for lifelong learning and joint activities and publications and eventually achieve impact in the field of social rights and housing for the aging population. Not least, we want to learn more about the phenomenon of collaboration, says Oskar Jonsson.
I you want to read the report send an email to Oskar Jonsson, oskar [dot] jonsson [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se.
Facts
Eight research environments at four LU faculties and ten external parties were involved when the initiative was awarded funding (2018). Two more parties have joined since then - Riksbyggen and Fojab Architects.
