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Expectations and Challenges

Expectations and Challenges in International and Interdisciplinary Projects. Examples from TRANSCAPACITY application work Britt-Marie Drottz Sjøberg NTNU , brittds@svt.ntnu.no. Presentation at the ”European Secure and Safe Smart Cities 2020” workshop in Helsinki, Finland. June 16, 2014.

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Expectations and Challenges

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  1. Expectations and Challenges in International and Interdisciplinary Projects. Examples from TRANSCAPACITY application work Britt-Marie DrottzSjøberg NTNU, brittds@svt.ntnu.no Presentation at the ”European Secure and Safe Smart Cities 2020” workshop in Helsinki, Finland. June 16, 2014 Name, title of the presentation

  2. My background: Examples of Projects • Nature - environment • Perceptions & feelings to nature and environment (NV) • Reactions to pollution, contaminated land (NV) • Technological systems and processes • Blind people reading digital newspapers • Accidents, workplace HES (NFR) • Nuclear safety; municipalities (NKS; SSI) • Nuclear waste management (EC:ARGONA; EC:CARGO; SKB: Social Science Programme) • Psychological and social phenomena • Reactions to radioactive fallout (EC:JSP2) • Crime, violence (AMFO) • Time perception (SSI) • Pandemic H1N1 (EC)

  3. Which line is the longest?

  4. Personal experiencesof interdisciplinary & international research work • Nobody speaks the same language • Due to mistakenly taking for granted that others have the same background, experience, and information • Focus on different research themes • From interesting to irritating to incomprehensible • Misunderstandings are common, but not always detected • Understanding that one does not understand is much preferable to not realizing that one hasn’t got a clue about what was said • In spite of everyone’s very good intentions, these sometimes pave the road to disaster • Unintentionally our expectations are based on success criteria from the own point of view • Attention to social and cultural factors is necessary for successful projects • Requires interest in others work and opinion • High degree of patience because it slows down work • There is sometimes a need to explicitely discuss expectations, goals and standards

  5. Goals;TRANSCAPACITYapplication Transboundary Resilience and Capacity-Building: Nordic Societal Security Researchers End-users Larger Society Specific research tasks Education Nordic Centre of Excellence Societal Security Documentation of challenges Exchange of experience Trans-national issues; Authorities, companies, citizens, international organisations

  6. Transcapacity; Expectations in the call Thematic framework. This call aims to: - Address common Nordic societal security issues. - Mobilise and qualify researchers for participation in EU Security research in Horizon 2020. • Due to increasing complexity and globalisation, new challenges are emerging regarding societal security issues. Research on societal security has developed differently in the Nordic countries. • Societal security comprises the ability of a society to sustain vital societal functions and secure populations' life, health, needs and basic values under extraordinary stresses, known as crises. • The proposal for a Nordic Centre of Excellence should address one or, preferably, more issues related to the following aspects of societal security: - Prevention - Capacity-building for response and recovery - Communication - Learning

  7. Transcapacity; Expectations in the call • The applications should: • employ a multidisciplinary approach and focus on cross-sectoral and transboundary issues and consequences for the Nordic countries, of generic significance for societal security. • Topics can be examined in various empirical domains, to which expert knowledge and contextual aspects may be added. • Traditional but still important domains include the societal effects of the vulnerabilities in interdependent critical infrastructures and critical societal functions. • Examinations of new stressors to these systems and functions may be appropriate for a resilience management approach.

  8. Transcapacity; Expectations in the call The Nordic Centre of Excellence should have • the potential to address the challenges of managing the unexpected and the unknown. • The difficult but increasingly widely embraced concept of 'resilience' may capture the essence of what is required to meet the grand challenges relating to societal security in the future. • Research is needed on the various components of the concept of resilience in a human, socio-technical, societal, organisational, political and transnational context.

  9. TRANSCAPACITY: 3 LEGS 6 WPs International research teams & organisations connections Partners in municipalities and business National authorities AIM: Prevention and Management of Major Hazardous Events in Society (caused by technology, humans or weather) Research Education Civic society Existing and new: PhD-courses Master-courses Open courses and training Dissemination: Open Conferences & Seminars Attachment to International risk, safety and crisis organisations

  10. Overview no. of participants TRANSCAPACITY

  11. Workshop In Sweden; Connect to ”Åre Risk Event” Workshop In Denmark Workshop In Jyväskylä Workshop in Iceland Nordic Societal Security Conference Trondheim Deliverables: WP articles; Chapters in Edited Volume Final reports Initiation Work teams EUROFORM meeting Connect to Norway ”Sikkerhetsdagene” EUROFORM meeting Connect to Helsinki, Living lab EUROFORM meeting Connect to Sweden: Radiological seminar EUROFORM meeting Connect to Iceland Risk Analysis EUROFORM meeting Connect to Denmark Communication Reports Euroforum & Annual Reports

  12. Transcapacity: Challenges Groups of experts Specifically: Bridging gaps between Different types of experts Communication & dissemination standards Country & organisational norms/cultures Making sense of & handling disparate inputs and outputs in practice Within the cooperation Relative NordForsk/ NCoE Developing a shared overview Where various contributions fit the common goals • Research groups • End-user groups • Commercial interests/ Businesses • NGOs & Supporting organisations

  13. Transcapacity: Challenges Various Realities Specifically Very different: Types of work and goals Responsibilities Timeframes for work production Expectations of results Use of results Personal styles Etc. Similar interest in exchange of information and experience to increase societal safety • End-users • Researchers • Businesses • NGOs, International organisations

  14. Central challenges in research Universities Involvement stakeholders Private business and enterprises Other governmental affiliated research institutes

  15. Societal challenges Trust and Seeds of Dystopia Disparities & Social dilemmas Expectancies vs. Realities Hidden, Implicit & Active threats Complexity & Scale of (potential) problems • Complexity and Uncertainty • Connectivity • Nations and Governance systems • Benefit to whom and risk to whom • Matter and Mind • The hard world • Existing and emerging technologies • The soft world • Citizens, consumers, individuals • The surrounding world • Natural environment; group identities • A globalworld? • Fact, risk or possibility? • Future relevance? • Comprehension?

  16. “Technology has developed faster than theory” (Dekker, 2011) • Complexity lies ahead of our understanding of it • We can build and manage technology – in an isolated system • But, • Competition • Internal relationships multiple possible outcomes • Internal dependencies • We lack explicit or well-developed theories for how such complexity develops – and can be managed

  17. Different Prerequisites for Safety? In Technology In Social Contexts Managed by removal of obstacles and hindrances through Information Communication Lock-out systems • Managed by obstacles and hindrances through • Buffers • Conservative estimates • Back-up systems Common Factors for Management Knowledge, Skill, Resources, Planning, Willingness and Ability to act

  18. Σ Experiences from Transcapacity • Escalation of interest approaching deadline • Every ”group” wants to pursue their own field and interest – a challenge to relate the own contribution to a larger (and still not well-defined) picture • Free-riders and non-attendants • Personal styles vary: can be interesting, supportive, relaxed, overwhelming, timid, irritating, funny, etc.

  19. Σ Experiences from Transcapacity + - Many facets of: Unfamiliarity -> Uncertainty -> Complexity • Seeing the necessity of cooperation for increased societal resilience

  20. Recommendations • Organisation • Clarify common goals and specific contributions • Clarify budget use and supplement the financing • Organise for personal exchanges across groups • Communication • Underline personal communication • Communicate a lot • Always be prepared to explain what you see as obvious • Contents • Leave experts to do their work and focus on finding, and steering, the contributions into the common goal arena

  21. Conclusions • Interdisciplinary projects across national borders ought to be approached as exotic foreign countries • With care and careful planning • As interesting but potentially bewildering • Exposing you to a new ”language” and • Unexpected surprises • They probe into new frameworks laying the basis for new knowledge and practice – providing patience • Extremely rewarding if keeping up with the challenges

  22. Thank you for your attention! Discussion

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