Before the summer period, the BETTER life project was introduced to participants of PULS PhD School on 18th May, 2023. The attendees included 29 students, professors (including the PhD School’s director, Prof. Janusz Olejnik, and visiting professor Prof. Christopher Randler), as well as university staff responsible for PhD School organization.
The introduction took place during the annual meeting of the PhD School, which was marked by a presentation from Prof. Randler. Subsequently, the entire afternoon was dedicated to the BETTER Life workshop.
Dr. Takacs and Prof. Tryjanowski led this session, where they not only introduced the BETTER Life project but also organized a workshop aimed at elucidating the significance and potential for collaboration within the PhD preparation process.
The workshop delved into several key questions:
- What are the primary environmental protection issues that necessitate cooperation with actors from the quadruple helix?
- Can participants share any best practices related to socially engaged research (SER)?
- What are the obstacles or challenges encountered when attempting to establish co-creation in research?
Preliminary findings indicated that many PhD students were not fully cognizant of the concept of socially engaged research, despite having elements of co-creation and stakeholder collaboration in their research experience. This exposure introduced the BETTER Life project to potential Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who may consider participating in the project’s bootcamps and other training initiatives in the future.