Knowledge environments – our way of meeting societal challenges
In order to meet current and future societal challenges, knowledge from a broader and larger perspective is needed. Therefore, we have established knowledge environments at Linnaeus University were we gather prominent research, education, and collaboration. Our knowledge environments are interdisciplinary in order to put knowledge in motion across subjects and get a broad take on the challenges.
Our society is facing great challenges within a number of different fields. Meeting these societal challenges with knowledge in creative environments that integrate education, research, and collaboration – knowledge environments – is something that permeates Linnaeus University’s vision and work.
Seven of the university’s knowledge environments have been appointed Linnaeus Knowledge Environment. These focus on the fields of education, materials, democracy, water, digitalisation, environment, and health. They all work interdisciplinary and link together subjects, departments, and faculties in order to get a broad take on the societal challenges within each field.
Linnaeus Knowledge Environments
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: A Questioned Democracy The free world is facing its greatest challenge since the fall of the Berlin wall: the questioning of liberal democracy. The purpose of the…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Advanced materials New types of materials are needed in order to meet current and future challenges within areas like energy, resources, health care, and food products.…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Digital Transformations The challenges within the area of digitalisation are numerous and how we handle them is crucial for the future. The purpose of the knowledge…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Education in change Education in change is a common platform for eleven research environments. We integrate education, research and collaboration in creative…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Green Sustainable Development The challenges in the area of climate and environment are great and how we handle them is crucial for our future here on earth. The…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Sustainable Health Good health for all in our time requires handling of a number of challenges: demographic changes, empowerment of citizens, changing illness patterns,…
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Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Water Managing the Earth's water resources in a sustainable way is a major challenge. The purpose of the knowledge environment Water is to tackle this societal…
More about knowledge environments
One of Linnaeus University’s objectives is to gather resources and competence in knowledge environments that integrate education, research, and collaboration. The starting point is the university’s vision and strategy document A journey into the future and the discussions on the concept knowledge environment that have taken place in a number of different contexts.
Knowledge environments are established when complete academic environments work together to meet societal challenges. Complete academic environments are subjects with first-, second-, and third-cycle education, where research is conducted in the same or a related subject, and where collaboration is being developed.
Thus, a knowledge environment normally comprises several different subjects and also transcends the organisational boundaries found at universities, like departments and faculties. It gathers subjects or parts of subjects, research units like Linnaeus University Centre, research environments, research groups, and research projects, as well as centres for collaboration in the form of networks, projects, etc.
Linnaeus Knowledge Environment
Linnaeus Knowledge Environments are knowledge environments at Linnaeus University that have been formally established by the vice-chancellor. These gather competence from different subjects, either within one of the university’s many fields of strength or within a new, burgeoning and urgent field of knowledge – all in order to put knowledge in motion across subjects and get a broad take on societal challenges.
In a first round, three Linnaeus Knowledge Environments started on 1 July 2019 and in a second, four more started on 1 March 2020:
- Advanced materials
- A questioned democracy
- Digital transformations
- Education in change
- Green sustainable development
- Sustainable health
- Water
Over a three-year period, more Linnaeus Knowledge Environments will be established, over several application rounds.