As the GoNano project draws to a close, it is taking time to reflect on its many successes. High on the list of positive outcomes are the relationships that GoNano and its partners have established with other EU projects, e.g. Harvestore.
GoNano and Harvestore first teamed up in October 2019 at a joint workshop to explore how co-creation could be used in the design and development of emerging technologies. Specifically, Harvestore aims to use nano-enabled micro-technology to develop a radical new family of all-solid-state micro-devices able to concurrently harvest and store energy from heat and light, providing uninterrupted power to low power devices.
Federico Baiutti of IREC, a Harvestore researcher, saw a lot of value in the Gonano co-creation process:
“It can help understand how to communicate effectively with stakeholders and help to get in touch with potential stakeholders that were not previously considered relevant…
… meetings between scientists and diverse publics should be encouraged so that scientists can understand what the needs of each stakeholder are.”
As co-creation is highly dependent upon bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders, the COVID-19 pandemic affected plans for many face-to-face events in 2020, but the projects have continued and are adapting to the circumstances. The GoNano final conference will now be a digital event, where individuals and organisations will be able to exchange ideas virtually and learn about the state-of-the-art in co-creation, responsiveness and practicing societal engagement in research and innovation. Researchers from the Harvestore project will be there to share their experiences of co-creation and to pick up tips for their engagement activities, including a large upcoming expo in the center of London and a topical workshop in Spring 2021.
For more information and the latest announcements about these upcoming events, please visit their website (http://www.harvestore.eu/) or follow Harvestore on Twitter @harvestoreEU and LinkedIn.
