Workshop: Los desafíos de las science-shops

The workshop “Los desafíos de las science shops”, which will take place on Monday 6th in Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, represents the first meeting of the promoters of citizens science in Spain and Portugal. The workshop aims at identifying the reach and the problems of science-shops and to suggest a roadmap for the construction of a science shop network in the Iberian Peninsula.

The workshop is part of the Horizon2020 project SciShop and will count with the participation of Nadja Gmelch, head of open knowledge projects at the Globalization and Cooperation Area. Nadja Gmelch will present UOC’s Open Knowedge Plan as well as the pilot project of participatory final research papers for undergraduate degrees and masters’. UOC and its incipient science shop have actually been a case study for the aforementioned European project.

What is a science shop? The consortium of the SciShop project defines science shops as entities that carry out independent participatory scientific research on behalf of citizens and of the local civil society. It is an open, inclusive and often interdisciplinary process in which citizens and community groups collaborate with researchers to help solve issues at local and regional levels.

UOC’ pilot project of participatory final research papers allows students to do research with social impact together with non-profit entities. This year, seventeen UOC students have chosen this modality. Look what they think about it!