1. An interdisciplinary community lab to facilitate citizen’s participation and health
Dr. Franka Bakker
Drs. Monique Mensen
Drs. Annelies Harps-Timmerman
Dr. Carolien Smits
August 29, 2017
Krakau, Poland

2. About Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Divisions at Windesheim UAS:
Business, Media and Law
Education and Sports
Technology and IT
Health and Welfare
4200 students
300 employees
5 Bachelor programmes
Research groups:
Healthy Cities
ICT innovations in Health Care
Innovating with Older Adults
Addiction Prevention
Youth Care Policy

3. Practice-oriented research @ Dutch UAS
Education
Research
Professional field
Reflective Practioner
Innovation
Practice-oriented research
Competences
Early stage professional
(research) questions
University of applied sciences
Universities
Staffing
Fundamental research
Professionalisation
Research competences
Applied research

4. Dr. Franka Bakker
Senior lecturer Applied Gerontology (4 years bachelor program)
Living Lab
Senior researcher Innovating with Older Adults
Innovative participation – participative innovation
Sustainable innovations
Co-creation
Active citizenship

5. Applied research: facilitates Living Labs
professional
education
clients/
consumers/
citizens
business
organizations
professional practice
- Applied gerontology
- Social work
- Nursing
‘How can we facilitate initiatives from citizens in a specific neighbourhood to increase social connections and mutual support?’
community professionals
citizens community of Oosterboer
best practices, current initiatives
needs in social connections and mutual support
possibilities, solutions
municipality city of Meppel
Connecting stakeholders:
Active citizens, entrepeneurs
Community platform/forum
Social work
Local authorities Meppel
Students from different educations
Inventory of citizens’ initiatives
Desk research of similar initiatives
Connecting and realizing initiatives
Advicing community platform & municipality

6. Research community lab (pilot)
What are promoting and inhibiting factors
in the co-creation and research processes
within a community lab?
Community lab (case study)
Sept 2015 – Jun 2017 (4 semesters, ongoing)
Mapping study: success of innovation-work/learning-communities
Feb 2016 – Feb 2017

7. Results: promoting factors
Involvement of students is valuable
Positive critical input, fresh energy
Personal contact with citizens
Research close to citizens
Real-life environments
Relevant social issues
Specific time, specific area
Activities provide (lots of) new information
Activities stimulate (new) relationships
applied research
students
citizens
municipality
professional practice

8. Results: inhibiting factors
applied research
students
citizens
municipality
professional practice
No feeling of joint experiment
unclear organizational structure
unclear goals, roles and expectations
no structured relation management
Rigidity of views and structures
No skills working in abstract and flexible setting
No open mind-set (of students and university)
No ensurance of number of students participating
Unbalanced roles in guidance in learning and innovation processes

9. professional practice
Conclusions
Education:
competences students and lecturers
flexibility
defined (physical) working place
applied research
professional
education
citizens
business
organizations
professional practice
Practice:
joint venture
relation management
Citizens:
professional volunteers’ role
research overload
Research:
reflection
coordination, structure
Municipality:
joint venture, incl. financial sustainability
relation management

10. Contact Dr. Franka Bakker fc.bakker@windesheim.nl
Senior researcher Innovating with Older Adults
Lecturer Applied Gerontology