Co-creative Research

We support research projects with the aim of making co-creation and knowledge exchange an integral part of excellent research and a beneficial process for all parties involved. Co-creation generally describes joint activities involving two or more parties that aim to achieve a desired outcome. As the approach has become well known in product development, co-creation often refers to the joint development of a service or product between companies, designers, experts and users.

In the area of science and research, however, the range of actors to be involved broadens significantly, as do their (envisioned) relationships with each other, the type of results to be designed and the motives for working co-creatively. All of these aspects will affect the selection of suitable formats and methods, the required scope or the appropriate time window for collaboration and thus should be carefully clarified in advance.

Co-creative research can therefore take many different forms and becomes meaningful, precisely when it is conceived in a specific context and with concrete framework conditions, i.e., considering its specific norms, objectives, stakeholders, practices, opportunities and challenges. Such projects can - and should - also be controversial and thus offer the opportunity to learn from and with each other, to jointly inquire and produce knowledge, redefine problems and negotiate innovative paths to solutions. Almost all fields of research can benefit from tailor-made co-creativity.

We use our interdisciplinary expertise and long-standing practical experience to support you in identifying relevant stakeholders, subject-specific requirements and the selection of suitable formats and methods. In addition to individual counselling for researchers, we are also available as co-applicants in large collaborative projects to ensure that the necessary resources and prerequisites for success are taken into account from the outset.

How does co-creative research become a success?

There is no “one” right way or time for doing co-creation. Nevertheless, it helps to take into account some core principles of co-creative research:

Maintain open arms für interested groups or stakeholders.
Question established hierarchies.
Consider different forms of expertise.
Embrace perceived conflictive situations
Develop iterative research processes.
Create knowledge collaboratively and interactively.
Focus on concrete research questions and areas of application.
Stay methodologically versatile and act in a context-sensitive way.

How Does Co-Creative Research Work in Practice?

Co-creative research can have many faces and achieve different things. Two aspects are particularly important:

Collaboration: The core of co-creative research is the coming together of scientific and non-scientific actors (e. g., from civil society, politics, culture, industry or public administration) to design and implement a joint project. Impartiality in dealing with different forms of knowledge and the negotiation of controversies are the basis for respectful and constructive collective action.

Creativity: Co-creative approaches are always formative. In a co-creative process, new phenomena, unexpected research questions, concrete prototypes, applications, or development plans can emerge. Through appropriate formats and methods, the (collective) "doing" can have a stronger impact than the (individual) "talking" that is routinised and often practiced in science.

Why Is Co-Creation Interesting / Relevant for My Research?

When it comes to master complex societal challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, artificial intelligence or pandemics, it is paramount to consider different forms of problem perceptions, knowledge and values.

Therefore, co-creative research directly involves actors from civil society, politics, industry or administration in any moment of the research process.

In currently complex times characterized by fake news, populism, and scepticism towards science and scientists, it is of crucial importance not to 'hide' science in laboratories and journals. Instead, we need to make it tangible, understandable, and perceivable as an important social practice.

There are many motivations for co-creative research: e.g. to increase the social impact of one's own research, to integrate practical and everyday knowledge or to contribute to scientific literacy and transparency. Concerns such as strengthening democratisation and trust in science, assuming social responsibility or empowering disadvantaged stakeholder groups can play just as important a role for participants as the desire for better or more diverse data or the identification of new research questions and innovative application possibilities.

And: Funding bodies also increasingly value the involvement of non-university stakeholders.

How Can the Team Co-Creation & Engagement Support Me? Are There any Specific Offers?

We are experienced practitioners and researchers from various disciplines. We are ready to support your co-creative research project at every stage: whether you want to think about co-creative elements in your research in an open-ended and non-binding way, or in case you already have concrete ideas for implementation, or you just want to discuss and share your experiences.

We inspire, support and consult in various dimensions, e. g.

identifying potential co-creative elements in your research or in exploring relevant stakeholders
conception of concrete formats and methods
design of facilitations of participatory processes
retrospective evaluation and reflection

Feel free to contact us! ko-kreativ@uni-hamburg.de( ko-kreativ"AT"uni-hamburg.de) We look forward to talking to you!

I Do Already Engage in Co-Creative Research. Should I Contact You Anyway?

Absolutely! We want to understand how you work and what projects you already implemented! Furthermore, we would be happy to reflect with you both on past projects and future co-creative research.

ko-kreativ@uni-hamburg.de( ko-kreativ"AT"uni-hamburg.de)