15 Lessons learned and future directions

Through the initiatives highlighted in this chapter, we seek to shoulder our responsibility within the greater knowledge system in achieving impact through deliberative actions and collaborations. We have learned that proximity is beneficial in engaging in collaborations and building strong relationships with the other institutions that are a part of this greater knowledge system. This entails a geographical proximity that allows us to bring together scientists across disciplines, medical experts, policymakers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and students who are all connected through our physical locations and local issues. This geographical closeness also entails getting away from campus and into the cities that we collaborate with and for. This proximity also entails an investment in relationships, a shared language, and trust.

In our efforts to realise new research and education structures (and possibly even new disciplines), these partnerships also benefit from a strong integration of, and collaboration across, disciplines and institutions. Combining the strengths not just of academic institutions in our region, but of other organisations and (local) governments as well, enables us to contribute to complex societal challenges that are not just happening in Rotterdam, but across the world. And by investing in our growing communities, we are working to shape a future where transdisciplinary solutions lead to sustainable and inclusive societal progress – within and beyond the Netherlands. Merging diverse disciplinary priorities and challenges also brings additional complexity and challenges, however. When collaborating with external partners for instance, it is important to ensure our systems allow for this collaboration. Changing existing structures and systems requires time, so at an early stage we need to include our various services in all initiatives aimed at changing the way our institution works. We need to invest more in aligning our knowledge-sharing structures within our institution to prevent various initiatives having to figure everything on their own and allowing for continuous learning. Facilitating internal knowledge-sharing can also motivate others within our community to embark on their own projects for transformational change. Fostering a culture and offering structural support should help encourage such work.

Toward the future, we aim to further strengthen these impactful initiatives in their important work: to enable and foster transformative change. We aim to further foster transformative education, through the School of Convergence for instance. Importantly, these projects will continue to support and enable initiatives across disciplines, not only within our university, but also with our partners. As these projects are maturing, we will work to embed them further within the structures of our organisation, and make sure that our own structures allow for new and innovative ways of working and interdisciplinary collaborations.