Research meeting of the Department Science, Technology, Policy Studies, University of Twente with guest speaker Dr. Niki Vermeulen.
Dr. Vermeulen will give a 30 minute presentation followed by questions and discussion.
You are welcome!
abstract
The establishment of multi- and interdisciplinary centres has become a central mode of funding innovative research and an international fashion in science policy. Next to (virtual) networks across existing institutes, this also materialises in dedicated buildings especially (re-)designed to foster collaboration. Their architectural design aims to stimulate interaction inside and outwith institutional walls e.g. through an atrium, glass partitions, common workspaces, coffee corners and public spaces. But what imaginations about collaboration go into such designs and how does the lay-out of these institutes transform ways of working, and the circulation of researchers and knowledge? Based on my work on the Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, the Francis Crick Institute in London and the new Edinburgh Future Institute, I will further explore the spatial dimensions of collaboration and the ways in which the built environment influences epistemic and social interactions. Through the analysis of ‘biographies of buildings’ and ‘choreographies of collaboration’, I will reflect on issues such as environmental identity, community building, epistemic integration and urban engagement.
Niki Vermeulen, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STIS), University of Edinburgh
