Role of the centre
Research has shown that the adoption and use of information and communications technology (ICT) is strongly influenced by social and organizational practices. This is also true for cyberinfrastructure, where non-technical issues will determine its practical effectiveness. Our center will bridge the gap between technical and non-technical aspects of cyberinfrastructure.
The next generation Internet and World Wide Web, referred to as the cyber infrastructure, will provide new high speed, secure, reliable network access to comprehensive federations of diverse resources and will enable new community information and knowledge environments, or collaboratories. A vast opportunity exists to enhance scientific research, regional and national economies, education, government and medical services, and everyday life by harnessing the potential of cyberinfrastructure and creating innovative community information and knowledge environments.
These environments can provide new ways to interact with colleagues and communities, scientific and medical instruments, computing resources, and all kinds of text, video and audio information and data in integrated, easy and meaningful ways. Such environments can provide: new opportunities for learning, including life-long learning; innovative and informed access to scientific and government data; new ways of working including global collaboration; enhanced multi-media access to cultural heritage; and, more effective delivery of medical and government services.
We will:
- Design and evaluate innovative community information and knowledge environments focusing on stakeholder interests
- Develop new knowledge with respect to the interplay among social and organizational practices, community information and knowledge environments, and technology
- Develop new research and development (R&D) practices to reduce failure in the innovation process
- Create and evaluate pioneering partnerships with organizations external to the university leading to new models of collaboration between society, the private sector and university.
To achieve these goals, our center will focus on four areas :
- Impact evaluation research, Including scenario design and consequence analysis
- Co-design research, Including all stakeholders in design and redesign of e-services
- Pioneering partnerships, Including Student participation
- Theory development, including implementation and regional development strategies
Each focus area is multi-disciplinary, including personnel from information and library science, business informatics, education and engineering. Each focus area will collaborate with affiliates in a variety of communities, including small-medium enterprises (SMEs), large corporations, scientists, medical service providers, government agencies, schools and libraries, and with affiliates in com puter science whose research focuses on application services, networking and middleware. In this way there is cross-fertilization of ideas and knowledge, leading to enhanced results.
|
 [Geolocation of centre indicated by red dot. Other centres located in map are indicated by blue dot.]
Participating Partners
- University College of Borås
- ESPIRA (Incubator and collaborative platform)
- Ladok Division (development platform for broadband services connected to universities in Sweden)
- A number of private ICT companies, participating as stakeholders
Background of Partners
University College of Borås:
Of the many objectives, the principal one for the University College of Borås is to contribute actively to the sustainable development of society, through education and research. The teaching that we engage in, and the research that we pursue at the University College of Borås, have together a very specific aim namely, to provide society with the kind of competency required to solve future global tasks and challenges.
The problems of mankind are today global in character and, accordingly, our ambition is to achieve a multi-facetted as well as an international perspective in both our educational programmes and in our research areas. Together with our students and with outside interested parties, the University College of Borås are committed to producing the work force, the employment-opportunity creators, the innovators and the idea-generators of the future.
A good university education is the foundation for the creation of ideas. Our role is to support the search for knowledge and to provide the means for that purpose.
The University College of Borås recruits students from all over Sweden to its programmes of education which are of importance nationally and, also, of interest internationally. But at the same time, we play a vital role in the development of our immediate region. In this regard, cooperation with local business and industry is an essential part of our activities.
ESPIRA Innovation center
could be described as a pivotal resource center in West Sweden, where business ideas are developed and business groth is facilitated. ESPIRA offers a platform that provides an opportunity to merge academic competence and scientific research with needs of expanding businesses.
Ladok Division
is the Swedish nationwide student register and development platform for broadband services connected to universities and higher education. The Ladok group is collaborating in many innovative projects with students as the focused user group.
|
Contact
Centre Leader
Olov Forsgren
University College of Borås
Areas of Expertise
- Innovation Lab
- Lab for e-service development
- ESPIRA Incubator - Transformation inom commercial initiatives
- Alexanderson Foundation (Campus Varberg) - supporting e-service initiatives
- e-Me - Student Living Lab test bed
|
