Sparks. Rethinking Innovation. Together
Richard Tuffs, ERRIN
ERRIN Health WG Meeting
23 February 2017
Sparks in a nutshell
• An awareness-raising project to show European citizens that they can get involved in science and that various stakeholders share the responsibility for scientific research and innovation
• Promoting RRI values through Public Engagement
• HOW? A travelling exhibition in 29 countries + local case study in each country + participatory activities during 2 months to engage citizens
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H2020 ISSI 01-2014 Science with and for Society 33 partners from 29 countries:Science centres and museums
Research and academiaEuropean networksCreativity experts
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Process and results: Touring
• RRI is an holistic approach: different levels of understanding need different levels of support.
• Big scale tour needs attention, anticipation and close coordination
• Maintenance of the exhibition is performed in close collaboration with the partners
• RRI is better communicated through real life situation: face to face
• We learn from each other
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Learning & Findings
‘Beyond the Lab’ the DIY science revolution travelling Europe
• Seven case studies on Do It Yourself (DIY) Science – health hackers, DIY biologists and citizen scientists
• Three artworks proposing visions of how technologies might impact the future of healthcare and society at large
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Scope: Technological changes in healthcare and medicine
Stimulating interaction between science and society
Defined in collaboration with a local stakeholders to engage the public in an active, original way
• Reverse Science Café
• (The dialogue is initiated by experts posing questions and listening to answers from
the audience).
• Science Espressos (short!)
• Pop-up science shop (empty shop)
• Scenario workshop (
• Incubation workshop (hackathon)• is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface
designers, project managers, and others, often including subject-matter-experts, collaborate intensively on ...
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Participatory activities
Evaluation and sustainability
• Objectives:• gather citizens’ perceptions (via survey) of RRI (actors, motivation, places of dialogue)
• understand what worked and how in terms of public engagement (formats, themes)
• Survey exhibition + activities: produce comparable data in 29 countries
• Questionnaire for local organisers: get inputs from the partners and their local stakeholders groups
• Outputs: Toolkit on activities to engage in RRI in the field of health
+ Policy recommendations to inform R&I policies
• STOA event in EP in June 8th 2017 – two case studies
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Feedback collection and analysis
Health hackers (1)
• Tim Omer
• Diabetes hacker
• Built own device and app to lower the cost of providers
• Monitors blood sugar level
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Health hackers (2)
• Prof Pedro Oliveira
• Patient Innovation Platform
• Support patients and carers
• Develop solutions together, e.g. 3D printed hand, lung cleaning device
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Health hackers (3)
• Sara Riggare
• Parkinson’s disease
• Monitoring if notices new symptoms or gets new medication
• Wearable devices
• Control 1 x year (1h) but collects data 365 days
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DIY biologists
• Laptop-sized DNA lab to examine genetics
• Pieter van Boheemen
• Antibiotics from soil, flowers, plants
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https://www.bento.bio/
Citizen scientists
• Shazia Ali - Webber
• Measuring pollution (pram level)
• Clean air campaign
• See also Brussels Clean Air campaign
• http://www.cleanairbxl.be/
• Doreen Walther
• Mapping mosquitos (carrier of lots of diseases)
• Practical use for the government to predict and avoid epidemics, diseases
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Artistic interventions: an alternative medium for engagement
• A disruptive point of view about the impact and aims of science and research, providing possible future scenarios
• Engage with a more human perception of the scientific and technological evolutions, questioning the values and meaning of innovation
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Agent unicorn
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• Anouk Wipprecht
• We shape technology but technology shapes us as well
• http://www.anoukwipprecht.nl/
• Relationship between human body and technology
• 3D printed unicorn for hyperactive kids to monitor their brain activity and attention
Nanobots for diabetes and obesity
• Imaginary robot in the body to communicate with neurons to suppress conscious and subconscious desires
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Human adaptability and frontiers of the body
• Lucy McRea
• http://www.lucymcrae.net/
• Visualises the body how it reacts to complex future scenarios
• Visionary artist
• Link science with imagination
• https://www.ted.com/talks/lucy_mcrae_how_can_technology_transform_the_human_body
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Local case studies
• Bonn: Diet – Body – Brain (DietBB): relation between diet and cognition decline
• Slovenia: Sweet – o –bike: educating diabetes patients of taking the right amount of sugar.
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Luxembourg: a helmet that can measure the impact on the brain in case of an accident. 16-year old boy!
The exhibition currently is in…
• Sweden
• Cyprus
• Slovakia
• Portugal
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Next stops will be in: (March 2017) EstoniaGreeceAustriaFrance
Come and see us
• In the European Parliament on 8th June 10:00 - 12:00 with STOA• Meet Pedro and Sara
• ‘Health systems for the future: making EU health systems resilient and innovative’
• Seeking 100+ participants
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