A Science Shop is an office that centralizes, compares and plans for the demands that reach universities from society—in terms of both education and research objectives. In practice, contact is established between a civil society organization and the Science Shop at the initiative of civil society.
Once the demand has been received, the best strategy is planned for the proposed problem. This may involve generating new knowledge or adapting and combining research and knowledge that already exists. Genuine collaboration is established in this process whereby scientific knowledge does not prevail over other types of knowledge.
Thus, in each university department, the Science Shop is set up as an open channel from the university to gather the present and future demands of society.
Transferring knowledge to society is one of the basic functions of universities. Nevertheless, this transfer is usually limited to the services that universities provide to trade and industry, particularly in terms of applied research. However, other social actors, such as civil society organisations, can make or reveal specific demands and needs for research and training. These demands must be taken up by universities because they are public institutions or institutions that function as public assets.
Universities must contribute to spreading knowledge throughout society. This duty, however, tends to be limited to publishing the results of the research they carry out. Attention is almost never paid to the requirements of society for information and knowledge transfer, which must be met by universities. Thus, the social relevance of the research dissemination activities that are carried out by universities may sometimes be questionable.
In facing up to their obligation to contribute to and construct the public good, universities must provide solutions to the needs and demands of civil society by introducing programmes that are different from the technology transfer programmes for industry and companies in general. This relationship between universities and society, the aim of which is to respond to the need for the effective transfer of knowledge and the dissemination of socially relevant research, may take various forms. In Europe, some universities have attempted to respond to civil society’s demands through the Science Shop system, a good example of which is the Biology Science Shop of the University of Utrecht.
A Science Shop is an office that centralises, compares and plans for the demands that reach universities from society—in terms of both education and research objectives. In practice, contact is established between a civil society organisation and the Science Shop at the initiative of civil society.
Once the demand has been received, the best strategy is planned for the proposed problem. This may involve generating new knowledge or adapting and combining research and knowledge that already exists. Genuine collaboration is established in this process whereby scientific knowledge does not prevail over other types of knowledge.
Thus, in each university department, the Science Shop is set up as an open channel from the university to gather the present and future demands of society.
The main aims of Science Shops in general and of the Biology Science Shop of the University of Utrecht in particular are as follows:
To provide civil society with research knowledge and skills.
To provide social consulting services at affordable prices.
To promote and support society's access to science and technology.
To create equitable and stable relationships with civil society organizations.
To link the knowledge of research and education leaders and institutions to the research and education requirements of civil society.
To link up the skills and knowledge of students, community representatives and researchers.
The process commences with an exploratory session that evaluates the demands made by the civil society organization and the Science Shop's scope for collaboration. The demands of civil society are evaluated in light of the Science Shop's criteria and the needs of its customers. If the request of the civil society organization is feasible and meets the Science Shop’s criteria, work begins on defining and designing the stages of the project.
A preliminary study is then carried out to examine the most recent research on the study subject and the existing research opportunities. The research plan is established by agreement of all parties. The Science Shop can help to obtain external funding if this is required.
In principle, the project's funding will be mixed: organizational costs are covered by the university and the organization requesting the service participates in funding the project according to its means. Despite this initial guideline, the civil society organization's ability to fund the project is not a criterion for acceptance. The cost of the projects may differ widely, particularly in terms of research and supervision costs. The Biology Science Shop of the University of Utrecht has an annual budget of approximately €150,000.
Depending on the specific requirements of the project, faculty students may perform research tasks as part of their study program. These will generally be students in their final years, because they have research experience and theoretical knowledge of the subjects they study. The students are supervised by scientists and lecturers from the university. When the research is highly specialized or the participation of the students is not required, it is performed entirely by senior researchers. In these cases, the Science Shop can provide greater support in managing the research, though only temporarily because permanent monitoring of the research is not a function of the Science Shop.
Some projects may specify collaboration between Science Shops from different departments and faculties of the university or from other universities, particularly in cases of interdisciplinary research.
When the research has concluded, a final report is drawn up from the research results. Depending on the aim of the research or its intended level of dissemination, other forms of presentation may be chosen, such as exhibitions and information leaflets. Therefore, an important part of the project is the dissemination and public exhibition of the final results, the aim of which is the effective dissemination of knowledge throughout civil society. This aim can be achieved through the media, conferences and public events that help to publicize the results and shape the opinions and attitudes of citizens based on specific knowledge and research. In this way, research that stems from a demand from civil society is fed directly back to that society via the presentation and publicizing of the results, thereby closing a virtuous circle in which the Science Shop acts as a driving force for the vocation of the university as an agent for the public good.
The results of the Science Shop vary according to the specific characteristics of each research project and it is therefore difficult to provide general results. Nevertheless, we can highlight the fact that the Biology Science Shop of the University of Utrecht carries out approximately 12 research projects each year and contributes toward many training courses for civil society.
Some benefits of the Science Shop are not easily quantifiable but will have a great impact in the medium term. These include the following:
The impact on higher education, particularly in developing the skills of students in community-based research.
The effect on scientific research by providing inputs that allow research programmes to adapt to the demands of society and enhance their social relevance.
The effect on civil society, where the support research provides to civil society organisations provides citizens with the ability to develop their activities and life models based on knowledge applied to their specific cases.
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