Methods of Transdisciplinary Collaboration …
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Third Mission
The term “third mission” has been defined by different authors covering several
aspects. Schulte et al. present a definition of Third Mission, which is mainly
influenced by the definition of Pasternack and Zierold (2015), but it is more specific:
Third Mission is defined as a university’s activity, which fulfils the following requirements:
It is related to university’s core processes - teaching and research - or their strategic aims.
making use of the university’s resources, e.g. professors, students or rooms.
shaping the university’s non-academic environment, e.g. by cooperative activities with nonacademic agents.
This definition is accepted within the framework of this article. Universities have
a variety of options for Third Mission activities. These include student projects, joint
workshops or further training as well as specific (disciplinary or interdisciplinary)
research projects. The projects are often of short duration, and locally linked to the
university’s region.
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is a form of participation which integrates people who do not work
solely in science but participate in scientific processes. The European Citizen Science
Association specifies this research method as a flexible approach that can be adapted
to different circumstances and disciplines, but should take ten fundamental principles into account (ECSA 2015). Bach et al. (2017), classify citizen science projects
depending on the type of participation into:
Co-design: Citizens are involved in the research process from the beginning,
i.e. a joint project planning and implementation, which can lead to shared
responsibilities.
Co-production: Citizens work under the guidance of scientists in the research
process (e.g. data acquisition and evaluation).
Virtual participation: Large amounts of virtual data are gathered, for example,
via crowdsourcing or distributed sensors. In addition to recording, citizens often
take responsibility for the evaluation of digital data.
Educational projects with elements of original research: Beside new scientific
results, the implementation of the knowledge takes place in close cooperation of
researchers and citizens.
Autonomous research: This encompasses all activities of individuals or interest
groups who generally conduct independent research without any institutional
connection. Support can be given, for example, by providing scientific resources
(e.g. laboratories).
Depending on the degree of participation, the amount of time and resources
required is higher compared with Third Mission activities.
83
Third Mission
The term “third mission” has been defined by different authors covering several
aspects. Schulte et al. present a definition of Third Mission, which is mainly
influenced by the definition of Pasternack and Zierold (2015), but it is more specific:
Third Mission is defined as a university’s activity, which fulfils the following requirements:
It is related to university’s core processes - teaching and research - or their strategic aims.
making use of the university’s resources, e.g. professors, students or rooms.
shaping the university’s non-academic environment, e.g. by cooperative activities with nonacademic agents.
This definition is accepted within the framework of this article. Universities have
a variety of options for Third Mission activities. These include student projects, joint
workshops or further training as well as specific (disciplinary or interdisciplinary)
research projects. The projects are often of short duration, and locally linked to the
university’s region.
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is a form of participation which integrates people who do not work
solely in science but participate in scientific processes. The European Citizen Science
Association specifies this research method as a flexible approach that can be adapted
to different circumstances and disciplines, but should take ten fundamental principles into account (ECSA 2015). Bach et al. (2017), classify citizen science projects
depending on the type of participation into:
Co-design: Citizens are involved in the research process from the beginning,
i.e. a joint project planning and implementation, which can lead to shared
responsibilities.
Co-production: Citizens work under the guidance of scientists in the research
process (e.g. data acquisition and evaluation).
Virtual participation: Large amounts of virtual data are gathered, for example,
via crowdsourcing or distributed sensors. In addition to recording, citizens often
take responsibility for the evaluation of digital data.
Educational projects with elements of original research: Beside new scientific
results, the implementation of the knowledge takes place in close cooperation of
researchers and citizens.
Autonomous research: This encompasses all activities of individuals or interest
groups who generally conduct independent research without any institutional
connection. Support can be given, for example, by providing scientific resources
(e.g. laboratories).
Depending on the degree of participation, the amount of time and resources
required is higher compared with Third Mission activities.