At the recent ENGAGED Collective Intelligence workshop at the University of Limerick, participants were invited to explore the often-unseen architecture of research culture – the policies, infrastructure, incentives and supports that influence how public engagement in research and open research practices, can either occur or be hindered.
The participants worked collectively to identify:
- What supportive structures exist within our current systems?
- What supportive structures exist outside of academia?
- What is missing that could help?
- Where should support go in future infrastructure and services?
Rather than simply discussing these questions, participants rolled up their sleeves and got hands-on. Using the imaginary “ENGAGED Town”, they mapped existing infrastructures for open research and public engagement, while also identifying critical gaps. Participants then put their (pretend) money where their mouths were and invested an imaginary €3,000 grant to support the changes they most wanted to see.
What emerged from the collective process was a striking insight: transformative culture change doesn’t always start with grand gestures. Often, it begins with a change to everyday behaviours.
To shift research culture toward more consistent and meaningful public engagement, the structures supporting it, such as training, incentives, funding pathways and evaluation criteria need to become routine. Making engagement “nothing special” might just be the most radical move of all.
The workshop was led by the ENGAGED team – from Trinity and DCU: Prof Jo-Hanna Ivers, Dr James Brunton, Dr Louise Hopper, Dr Autumn Brown, Kathyan Kelly, Tracey-Jane Cassidy and Michael Foley. The team at the University of Limerick, led by Lorna Kerin, provided a generous and energising space for ideas to flow and take shape. The team also ran an online workshop concurrently for those who could not attend in person.
This was the third ENGAGED workshop on Open Research and Public Engagement, focused on the infrastructure and supports needed to foster a culture where external stakeholders can become more deeply involved in the research process, and can benefit from greater access to research.
More insights from the series will be shared in the coming months. For now, one message resonates clearly: small structural shifts can lead to deep cultural transformation.
