What is InteractionSeeds?  

InteractionSeeds is an EU funded project that has started in January 2024 and will end in December 2025.  

InteractionSeeds aims to connect research and the arts to bring science closer to citizens and enhance the value of knowledge, making it more accessible and enriching for all. The project seeks to promote human centred technology and encourage critical thinking through: 

  • Collecting existing good practices and share them on the project’s repository. The project will provide a continuous pipeline of impacting interactions through the Seeds repository that showcases examples of artistic and cultural interactions that have effectively co-created solutions or communicated science to citizens. These examples are easily replicable across different regions and domains. 
  • Facilitating knowledge valorisation by testing, sharing and promoting good practices on 20+ art-based methods in five European ecosystems (in France, Spain, Sweden and Greece). 
  • Facilitating replicability of the project through stakeholders training, the creation of a label and the stakeholder engagement at an EU level. 

What do we mean by Knowledge Valorisation? 

Knowledge valorisation is a process where knowledge is effectively absorbed by specific target groups, users and society. Fostering the valorisation of knowledge coming from research can take place during all phases of the knowledge chain. 

What is an Artistic or a Cultural interaction? 

Art-based methods create conditions for knowing, experiencing and strengthening relationships with the world through signs, forms, actions and objects. It is about “humanising” technology, taking science out of the lab, explore new path to progress, questioning technology. 

Applied to research, researchers will use the arts, in the broadest sense, to explore, understand, represent and even challenge human action and experience. The goal is to imagine solution for a better and more sustainable future.  

What are the challenges addressed? 

The seeds are creating positive change in a few domains. These domains are derived from complex societal challenges that directly and strongly impact citizens’ daily life and that, as such, have been prioritised by EU policies and represent the main concerns and sources of knowledge developed in the partner’s ecosystems. This is why InteractionSeeds project will address the challenges within the following domains: 

  • Bridging the Digital Divide 

The digital divide poses a significant challenge, as some people are left without the tools or skills needed to fully participate in today’s society. InteractionSeeds is focused on finding solutions to close this gap, ensuring that technology serves as a means of inclusion rather than exclusion. 

  • Reinventing Democracy 

Democratic participation is essential, but today’s political landscape is marked by challenges such as misinformation and voter disengagement. InteractionSeeds is tackling these issues by exploring new artistic ways to make democracy more interactive and transparent. The goal is to empower citizens, making democratic processes more accessible and reflective of the public’s true interests. 

  • Climate Action & Environment 

Addressing climate change and protecting the environment are critical for the survival and well-being of both current and future generations. This challenge involves promoting sustainable practices, advancing renewable energy and bio-based solutions, conserving biodiversity, and reducing the impact of environmental degradation on communities and ecosystems. 

  • Health 

Improving public health and societal well-being requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying social factors affecting health, ensures equitable access to healthcare, and reduces health disparities. By focusing on these areas, we can promote health equity, support mental health, tackle social inequalities, and strengthen community resilience. 

What is Dowel’s role in the project? 

Dowel is the coordinator of the project and is responsible for implementing the seeds in the Sophia Antipolis technopole. Dowel also intervenes in various tasks such as feeding the InteractionSeeds repository, producing success stories and providing recommendations on good practices.  

At the end of the project, Dowel will produce a labelling strategy to guide organisations interested in replicating the repository seeds or test cases. The strategy will include a set of guidelines and conditions that these organisations must meet. Once these criteria are fulfilled, the organisations will be eligible to self-award a “label.” This label will serve as a mark of recognition, helping to promote their initiative and demonstrate their commitment to best practices. 

 For more information about InteractionSeeds: https://www.interactionseeds.eu/