In today’s global landscape, there is significant pressure to be more efficient, more sustainable, and more globally connected. Fortunately, the DigiSus research platform is designed to foster collaboration around the twin transitions of digitalization and sustainable development. The platform provides seed funding for promising partnerships that align with this vision. Recognizing this opportunity, the Augmentative Technology Research Group applied for funding to organize workshops aimed at identifying and drafting ideas for future proposals. And with great enthusiasm, the Multifunctional Materials Design Research Group from Aalto University and the Personal Electronics Group from Tampere University joined these efforts. The agenda of the workshop day on October 28th was focused: to ideate research plans and to scout potential funders.
To efficiently facilitate a workshop, the old-fashioned rule is to “bring out the best in others”. When it comes to ideation, however, what is crucial is creating a secure framework for development — a dialogue that fosters not only individual contributions but also strengthens the collective process of concept creation.
Collaborating with a new partner always presents challenges. This is especially true when the group has a multidisciplinary composition. Workshop activities, even with the best-laid plans, are often unpredictable, with last-minute changes and unexpected elements that rarely help the workshop flow. In such context, it isn’t given that collaboration partners will automatically and seamlessly align for joint proposal writing. To ease into the start, we began by creating a word cloud filled with the diverse skills present during our workshop sessions. Take a look at our cloud — skills and perspectives to drive creative thinking!
Experienced facilitators often remind us that we should evaluate how our time is spent — how else can we be sure that our efforts were worthwhile? Both tangible and intangible outcomes must be considered. While tangible outcomes are easy to list and quantify, intangible outcomes are often disregarded without special focus. As the day’s concrete achievements, this workshop team managed to:
- draft a research proposal for the Research Council of Finland’s Winter Call,
- find a new co-partner for a European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder proposal, and
- conceptualize a small experimental setup.
Achievements like these are possible only when the intangible value of collaboration is fully embraced.
Beyond tangible outcomes, there is a distinction between “a group” and “a team”. The most meaningful intangible outcome of the day was our shift from collection of researchers to a cohesive team. Throughout the workshop, the intangible acts of collaboration took shape in at least three ways: high motivation and inspired experts; improving team dynamics and strengthened co-operation among the team members; and knowledge sharing across disciplines.
Given the efficiency of our team, we were pleasantly left with extra resources. We decided to move forward with collaborative hands-on experiments. Since we had a clear idea for proof-of-concept measurements, the next milestone will be taking place in December, at the latest. Through this joint experimentation, we are not only building a stronger foundation for teamwork across involved research groups but also creating a compelling showcase for potential funders — a reflection of successful, collaborative research.
Sincerely,
Tiina Vuohijoki,
Workshop Facilitator and Doctoral Researcher
Augmentative Technology Research Group
The Author contributes to research through interdisciplinary synergies, primarily integrating health, design and technology.