Part of the Time4Unichange project activities is discovering case studies that serve as good practice examples of how HEIs can instigate cultural change towards more external engagement and entrepreneurship amongst academics. Wageningen Dialogues is one of the cases that we would like to present.
INTRO
Wageningen Dialogues is an innovative program that fosters interaction between researchers and their local community. Through this initiative, academics can better understand the concerns and needs of the people, and create collaborative solutions for complex issues that arise at the interface between major social themes.
ARGUMENT
Wageningen Dialogues started in 2019 and is part of Corporate Value Creation services at Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
Wageningen Dialogues is divided into three pillars: organizing events to familiarize people with the concept of dialogues and their impact, capacity building of dialogue skills through workshops, and a pool of skilled facilitators and moderators to support the organization in using dialogue and deliberative methods.
The program has grown to organize two types of events: community meet-ups and dialogue events. Community meet-ups focus on deliberative methods and skills development, while dialogue events involve the WUR community and diverse external stakeholders. A growing pool of facilitators and moderators can support researchers and other stakeholders in integrating dialogue into their work.
“Dialogue creates connections. And that is exactly what we need with rising polarisation and the complexity of challenges we face.”
Simone Ritzer, programme manager Wageningen Dialogues
Wageningen Dialogues has significantly impacted the academic community, as researchers feel more confident in using dialogue and other deliberative methods as reliable scientific methods. The program fosters connections between researchers, creating a space for them to meet and inspire each other for collaborative research projects. Additionally, many teachers in WUR and other universities are integrating dialogue and deliberative methods into their courses, and they contact the program team for support.
Author:
Rimante Rusaite, UIIN – University-Industry
Innovation Network