Collaboration

For us, it is evident that the Department is a meeting place for knowledge, culture and critical dialogue. It is through encounters with others, with people with different skills, experience and background, that new knowledge and innovations arise. Therefore, a large number of collaborative projects are currently underway at the Department. Collaboration can refer to the utilisation of research, technology transfer and dissemination of knowledge at the expert level. However, we are mainly a central actor in our society with respect to education and social debate.

Health and health care in a digital society

Within the Department, there are several major ongoing projects directed to the surrounding community. Several researchers and graduate students in the Department are active in the U-Care programme, which is an interdisciplinary research programme at Uppsala University on psychosocial care in a digital society.

Yet another group of researchers at the Department collaborates with the University Hospital in Uppsala to study the introduction of a so-called extensive Patient Data Management System within intensive care and operational activities at the hospital.

In efforts to strengthen research in information systems at Campus Gotland, the Department conducts an active collaboration with the local business community in Visby.

Challenge-driven innovation and play research

The research group within human-computer interaction participates in a collaborative project called Digital and physical play environments conducted within Vinnova’s ‘challenge-driven innovation’ programme. Among others, Huddinge Municipality and NCC are participants in the project.  The group has also established an informal but close network with several companies in the play and learning sectors, including Tom Tits Experiment, museum consortium Jamtli and app developers such as Toca Boca and Peppy Pals. The purpose of these collaborations is to create a viable platform for Swedish play research.

Local media and non-governmental organisations

One of media and communication studies' (MCS) collaborative projects within civil society is through the Cyprus Community Media research programme. The programme has made it possible for MCS to develop collaborations with a number of local media-- non-governmental organisations active within the field of peace-building and art-related organisations. These collaborations have resulted in a series of jointly produced radio broadcasts and a photo exhibition. Because participation and influence are two of the core components in MCS’s research, the effort to reach out to local structures, such as local businesses and organisations in the community in a respectful and responsible manner is a part of its many research initiatives.