On December 9th and 10th, 2024, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania hosted to a dual event under the CATALISI framework: a Twinning Exchange and a Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) Workshop. This gathering brought together representatives from various CATALISI Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including UJI, AUTH, UCC, UG, and LUISS, alongside internal and external stakeholders.
MML Workshop: Focusing on Participatory Research Practices
The CATALISI MML workshops are designed to foster knowledge sharing among university representatives. KTU’s MML event, titled “Participatory Research Practices at KTU: Infrastructure and Strategic Guidelines,” aimed to discuss the infrastructure, strategic guidance, and real-world applications of citizen science projects across diverse fields. The event saw participation from academics in various roles, from university and faculty-level managers to administrative staff and researchers.
Main Takeaways:
- Introducing Citizen Science Guidelines at KTU: A key focus was the presentation of KTU’s official guidelines for implementing citizen science projects, establishing standards for quality, ethics, and collaboration.
- Activities of the Citizen Science Hub: The workshop introduced the hub’s role at KTU as a central coordinator for citizen science projects, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Practices from Social Citizen Science Projects: Experiences from specific social citizen science projects such as TIME4CS, YouCount, and LibOCS were shared as case studies.
- Citizen Science in Architecture and Other Disciplines: Discussions extended to the application of citizen science in architecture and other fields, highlighting innovative approaches to public engagement in data gathering and co-creation.
The primary challenge addressed during the MML event was “How to enhance public engagement and inclusion of stakeholders to solve societal challenges?” KTU’s long-term vision is to be a university that drives social change and collaborates with society, with a goal of increasing awareness among academic and research staff regarding the benefits of public engagement in research. A short-term goal is to establish a citizen science hub. The workshop’s success was evident in the positive feedback received, indicating its potential to foster future collaboration and drive collective growth.
Exploring Twinning: Open Science, Engagement, and Ethics at KTU
The Twinning event facilitates the exchange of experiences, best practices, and innovative ideas among CATALISI universities across several key areas:
- To present experience in assuring sustainability in research
- To present open educational resources and open data (e-library, data center etc.)
- To organise the discussion on research ethics practice at KTU
- To present to the infrastructure for open science applications.
The Twinning visit to KTU specifically aimed to share the university’s experience and present its main streams in open science, public engagement in science, and sustainability in research.
Highlights from the Twinning Event:
- Sustainability in Research: Presentations by KTU’s Director of Department of Research Affairs and Head of Research and Innovation Projects Centre introduced research funding schemes and long-term approaches to maintaining research initiatives.
- Open Science and Open Data: Discussions at the Centre for Data Analysis and Archiving (DAtA) highlighted the importance of open science for researchers, with a specific focus on the LiDA data archive for social sciences and KTU’s practices for acknowledging data depositing in researcher career assessment.
- Open Science and Research Ethics: A meeting with the KTU Research Ethics Committee allowed for discussions on open science practices in Lithuania and at KTU, alongside sharing best practices from ECIU partners.
Participants from visiting institutions highly valued the opportunity for in-depth discussions and the sharing of experiences. The visit to the DAtA Centre and the sessions on Open Science and Research Ethics were particularly impactful, offering insights into KTU’s innovative structures and programmes.
Transforming Higher Education Institutions with CATALISI
These events are organised within the context of the CATALISI Capacity building and outreach Acceleration service. They are specifically designed to equip HEIs with the necessary skills and strategies to develop transformative approaches aligned with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles.
Both the Twinning Exchange and the MML Workshop at KTU were successful in fostering knowledge exchange, facilitating collaboration, and encouraging joint problem-solving. These initiatives are crucial for advancing the change journeys of the participating universities and contribute significantly to the overall mission of CATALISI in 2025 and beyond.