Video: Leiden staff and external partners reap the fruits of the Knowledge Orchard
image: Danique ter Horst
Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration can be tricky. We don’t all speak the same ‘language’ or know how to find each other. At the Knowledge Orchard anniversary event on 28 November, academics made and strengthened connections.
Inspiration, information, support and new contacts were up for grabs at the Knowledge Orchard in PLNT on Friday 28 November. In the morning, over a hundred researchers, teachers, support staff and administrators from Leiden University came together. They could choose from 14 different sessions to help them take their interdisciplinary research or teaching a step further.
Unpredictable collaboration
‘You don’t know what a new collaboration will bring, but you have to be open to it,’ said adventurer and keynote speaker Wiebe Wakker at the opening of the afternoon programme. More than ten years ago, he travelled from the Netherlands to Australia in an electric car with no money whatsoever. Collaboration was the name of the game if he wanted to reach his destination. He shared the lessons he learned about collaboration with the audience of Leiden researchers and representatives from municipalities, provinces and civil society organisations. The participants then explored opportunities for collaboration in sessions covering three themes: ‘How AI is Transforming the Role of Governments towards their Citizens’, ‘Health and the Living Environment’ and ‘Resilient Society’.
What were the takeaways? Watch the video to find out.
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Keynote speaker Jolanda Lindenberg, head of research at the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, provided participants with definitions of multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary in the morning -
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Young scientists were present to explore interdisciplinary opportunities for their work -
The session “Monsters, Myths and Mindsets” focused on opportunities and obstacles in interdisciplinary research -
Session on European collaboration opportunities -
One of the sessions addressed the importance of leadership in interdisciplinary work -
Tips from ICLON on teaching skills in interdisciplinary education -
The brand new interdisciplinary Bachelor's programme Science for Sustainable Societies shared experiences -
Keynote speaker Wiebe Wakker spoke about uncertain cooperation during his journey in an electric car from Amsterdam to Sydney -
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Session on lessons learned from the interdisciplinary 'stimuleringsprogramma's' -
Laurens Hessels from the KNAW spoke about interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary publishing -
Session on AI assistance in setting up interdisciplinary education -
At an information market, teams were on hand to provide participants with interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary support -
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Theme session on AI with researchers and representatives from municipalities and provinces -
Theme session on resilient society with researchers and representatives from provinces and municipalities -
The Honours Academy organised a session on setting up transdisciplinary education -
The Leiden Citizen Science Lab shared experiences about successful citizen science -
Representatives from municipalities and Dutch provinces informed researchers about opportunities for improved collaboration -
Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl opened the morning and afternoon programme -
Participants could leave suggestions for a follow-up event in a Knowledge Tree