trend-report-dps-web-version

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Reporting on Trends
Trend
noun \’trend\
a general direction in which
something is developing
1.VIRTUAL
EMPATHY
2.HUMAN
ENHANCEMENT
3.DIGITAL LIFE
4.IMPACT
ECONOMY
5.COLLECTIVE
INTELLIGENCE
6.HACKING
UNCERTAINTY
REPORTING
ON TRENDS
The executive board of Leiden University has given the Centre
for Innovation the task of looking at emerging technological and
societal trends, and their potential impact on academic education
and research, and on society as a whole.
The method we used to select the trends for this report was threefold:
we reviewed recent research projects by leading universities as well as
observed trending topics at conferences; we talked to thought leaders
to ask what they saw as upcoming trends in the tech-society fields; and
we reflected on our own current innovation projects which we explore
and develop with academic partners, NGOs and businesses. As a result,
we shortlisted six trends that we think are shaping and will continue to
shape the future of higher education and society as a whole.
Each of the six trends highlights the relation between societal
developments and new technologies. By combining these two areas we
hope to provide a different perspective on the nature of technological
innovation and its impact on the world.
We have chosen to apply a magazine-style approach to this Trend
Report, thereby allowing space to introduce each topic, before going
deeper into the subject matter with the help of featured contributions by
and interviews with academics and thought leaders in their specific field.
Each trend also features a section that reflects on the question of how
technology is transforming education and how knowledge institutions
can stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Throughout the report, we also ask societal and
ethical questions that we hope could form the basis of
debate and future research.
We hope that this publication will reach a wide
audience of different backgrounds, interests and
viewpoints, and encourages open discussion and
debate.
FEATURE
Ulrich Mans & Lucy Bernholz
SHIFTING THE STARTING
POINT: SHOULD WE
GIVE MORE PRIORITY TO
SOCIETAL IMPACT?
INTRODUCING D-SEARCH: WHY UNIVERSITIES NEED TO
ENGAGE MORE CLOSELY WITH KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS OUTSIDE
ACADEMIC CIRCLES
Much of today’s debate
about the future of academia
highlights the separation
between fundamental and
applied research philosophies.
Without the freedom to explore
new terrains and without
preconceived targets for societal
impact, we will lose much of
the curiosity, serendipity and
dedication to detail that is needed
to push for the radically new. At
the same time, universities need
to engage more closely with those
who hold knowledge outside
academic circles, and listen to
those who will put new ideas into
practice. Creating sustainable,
permeable relationships across
disciplines and sectors can develop
new research domains and
accelerate the application of their
findings. Doing so also embeds
university expertise and resources
directly in society in ways that
align with today’s rapid distributed
approaches to change.
The advantages are threefold: 1) it
fits a fast-moving environment,
as it enables quick feedback
loops and a more agile approach;
2) it creates impact at the front
end of the academic cycle and
therefore justifies resources to be
invested in further investments,
including (fundamental) research
trajectories; and 3) it stimulates
transdisciplinary science that
integrates local knowledge from
citizens, public and private parties,
many of whom may not have
an academic mandate. This way
it generates new avenues for
universities to engage with society
and reduces the effects of a classic
‘ivory tower’ phenomenon.
As Professor Tim Lewens writes
in his recent book The Meaning of
Science, there is not enough local
knowledge that enters the research
trajectories of today’s universities:
‘The successful mobilisation
of research for valuable ends
demands attention to the sort of
local knowledge that science often
overlooks.’ (2015).
Therefore it is important to invest
in activities that underpin a
university’s responsibility to explore
the right balance between these
two positions. We can do this by
introducing an approach which
embraces trajectories that could
be labelled ‘d-search’ – the ‘d’
standing for ‘design’ or ‘discover’.
In other words: make innovation
the starting point and let it feed
research trajectories. We do not
contend that this should be a
mainstream approach; for now,
it is an experimental avenue that
supports finding new entry points
of scientific enquiry. It encourages
meaningful input from those
shaping innovation outside our
campuses.
there is not
enough local
knowledge that
enters the research
trajectories of
today’s universities
Starting the Shifting Point