People interested in taking part in a short interdisciplinary course being held from May 8 to 12 in Bochum, Germany, on the theme ‘Why does transformation need third places and how can they be designed?, as part of the SciCultureD project, are invited to apply.

‘Third places’ are open spaces that differ from the two other environments we live in – our private home and our workplace, school or university. Examples of third places include cafés, maker spaces, public libraries, bookstores, arts organisations like galleries, theatres and museums, as well as virtual spaces that offer accessible meeting opportunities on a neutral ground.

The course participants will seek answers to questions such as:

• How could we activate third places as future venues for the co-production and sharing of knowledge?

• How could these places represent the diversity that exists in their surrounding community?

• Which methodologies, spaces and tools could be integrated to activate third places as venues for transdisciplinary collaborations?

• What could educational institutions or administrations learn from these places?

• Do they need to be physical, or can we create digital or hybrid meeting spaces that provide similar opportunities to connect?

Prospective applicants should ideally be interested in science, art or entrepreneurship, who would like to discover tools and spaces for creative, sustainable innovation. During the course they will be supported by experts in arts, science, entrepreneurship, pedagogy, design thinking and science communication. Applicants are to fill in and submit the online form at the following link by March 13.

Applicants affiliated with one of the project partners, namely the University of Malta, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL, Norway), City2science (Germany) or Science View (Greece), may also apply until February 27 for a grant opportunity to have all their expenses covered. For more information, visit this website.