Main activities and outcomes. The main goal of WP2 has been to develop a Knowledge Framework on DiDIY that can provide a common conceptual and lexical ground to the activities performed in the Project by integrating the different competencies of the interdisciplinary Project team, in particular by harmonizing languages, approaches and research methodologies. This was already stated in the Interim Report and did not change in the second half of the Project. The final outcomes of WP2 are included in deliverable D2.5, “Knowledge framework, finalized version”, which maintains and refines the structure for the presentation of DiDIY developed in the previous versions, interpreted metaphorically as a building under construction, made of: • pillars, i.e., the necessary conditions specifying what DiDIY is and without which the whole building would collapse and disappear; • load-bearing walls, i.e., the interpretations of what DiDIY may be, common to multiple aspects of the phenomenon and admitting a range of options: the building has load-bearing walls that carry the weight of the building and are common to all storeys; • storeys and internal walls, i.e., the aspects of the way DiDIY that can affect the society and the related interpretations, admitting a range of options: each WP of the Project corresponds to a storey, that includes some internal walls, i.e., specific interpretations of what DiDIY may be. For each load-bearing wall and internal wall some research questions were identified and formulated, and each of them has been at least preliminary answered or commented.
Main activities and outcomes. The first main objective of WP4 was to define the research framework and the methodology to investigate the DiDIY phenomenon in the field of education and research. This framework was defined at the beginning of the project (M9) and is described in the first three deliverables of the WP, namely D4.1, Research space and agents, D4.2, Integration of background knowledge, and D4.3, Methodological plan. D4.3 defined the specific explorative tools to gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative data relevant to determine the transformative effects of DiDIY in European education and research. The overall result of these three documents is a map of relevant stakeholders together with a selection of suitable tools to carry on a deeper and wider investigation on the phenomenon. Indeed, it is well known that DiDIY is becoming more and more widespread in formal and informal educational and research environments, supporting strong modifications in teaching and research methodologies taking place at different levels and in different setting (also, outside classroom). From M10, data collected during the field work confirmed this initial hypothesis. To better understand the current status of the phenomenon, field work was carried out following two converging routes: • contacting and interviewing the identified relevant stakeholders at national and international level by means of ad-hoc in-person or remote interviews, as well as organizing joint workshop to meet and engage with active DiDIYers; • implementing a bottom up approach intercepting spontaneous activities growing up in different countries and educational and research environments. The fieldwork led to D4.4, Results derived from data collection and analysis, and D4.5, Strategic plan. The two deliverables are strongly interrelated, being the first one an exhaustive analysis of the data collected by interviews to stakeholders and investigation of spontaneous activities, and the second one an overview of the main potential lines of interventions and future developments to support issuing of guidelines in the area. The findings of D4.5 constituted the basis for further elaboration in WP7 to deliver suitable policy patterns in the area.
Main activities and outcomes. Since March 2016, WP5 has undertaken a series of in-depth research activities, developed research data and completed the analysis for deliverables: D5.1, D5.2, D5.3, and D5.4, published between December 2016 and February 2017. These activities included: • 14 one-to-one video interviews with the leaders of DiDIY related organisations, such as creative enterprises, makerspaces and entrepreneurs. These interviews provide a unique insight into current DiDIY related initiatives; • 9 active workshops with makers, carried out in DiDIY locations associated with local making communities, such as hackspaces, makerspaces and collective work studios. The 95 makers who took part in this ‘Makerlab’ series of workshops were guided through a series of creative exercises, using LEGO and simple craft materials to make models and describe their practice; • 6 workshops in public libraries in which 41 members of the public were able to try out DiDIY creative technologies and take part in team design challenges; • the creation of 6 on-line videos, totaling around 45 minutes, that outline the research findings regarding the social impact of DiDIY on creative society; • the collaborative creation of a DiDIY manifesto detailing guidelines for a DiDIY creative society to flourish.
Main activities and outcomes. The two main, interrelated goals of WP8 were initially defined as: • coordinating and performing the dissemination and communication activities throughout the whole duration of the Project, in order to make its results known and to establish contact with DiDIY stakeholders who may exchange related information with Project members, or perform some activities with them; • working to guarantee the long term sustainability of the Project research results and proposals that aim to support the diffusion of DiDIY in European society. In practice, in the second half of the Project, the detailed roadmap and directives for WP8 have been: • the corresponding parts of the original Project proposal by the DiDIY Consortium; • D8.2, Dissemination and communication plan, March 2015 (xxx.xxxxx.xx/xxxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxxx/xxxxx-x0.0.xxx); • D8.7, Interim dissemination report, March 2016 (xxx.xxxxx.xx/xxxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxxx/xxxxx- d8.7.pdf); • the first version of DiDIY Sustainability Plan, released in September 2016 Since April 2016, the activity of WP8 has produced three main results, of which two are specific deliverables of the Project: D8.11, DiDIY Risks, synergies and education, released in December 2016, and D8.14, DiDIY Guidance e-manual, released in June 2017. The research performed for D8.11 has identified several scenarios, in nine areas from public safety to education, social divides and economic growth, in which DiDIY will very likely play an important role in the medium and long term future of European society. D8.11 explains what may be, depending on how it is practised and accepted by the general population on one hand, and regulated and supported by policy makers on the other, the main positive or negative consequences of DiDIY in each of those scenarios. The analysis of the above scenarios has shown that DiDIY will present significant opportunities, risks and challenges (again: depending on how it is practised and regulated, or not) for six basic aspects of today’s society: unnecessary complexity, existing business and innovation models, separation between (mass) producers and consumers, rigidity and scope of laws and regulations, ethics values and safety, personal responsibility. The final result of D8.11 has been the definition of some conditions that should be realized, in order to maximise the positive outcomes of a mass adoption of DiDIY by society, while minimising the associated risks. The first of these condition is the realisation of certain synergies, a...
Main activities and outcomes. The main task for TT1 was setting up of two series of co-design workshops held at the beginning of the second half of the Project. To this purpose we first identified crucial factors to be investigated as potential features of the current DiDIY phenomenon. The main result is the need for a wider exploration of DiDIY as a phenomenon of social innovation fostering empowerment and the development of key competences. In particular we focused on the development of the so-called “21st century skills”, which include creativity and critical thinking, collaboration and effective communication. This analysis resulted to be a fundamental basis not only for the development of TT1 activities but also a significant contribution to the structure and development of the Project main themes and the Knowledge Framework in particular. In order to collect material for the co-design workshops, we developed a collection of primary data plan for a clearer understanding of if and how such competences emerge in the DiDIY practice. This includes direct observation and research activities in the places where such practice is carried out, in particular makerspaces. We identified and gathered existing tools from different design approaches and toolkits, with particular attention given to creativity processes and creativity elicitation tools. Specific tools were created by following co-design principles and by adapting some already existing from co-design approaches gathered in order to trigger and understand the dynamics, which are often tacit and latent, underpinning the enactment of such skills in DiDIY. The data collected fed our interpretation of the dynamics fostering the development of the key competences and have been represented through an ad hoc model. The overall findings from TT1 fed the other WPs. TT1 contributed to: • WP2 by participating to the discussion around the development of the foundational interpretation of DiDIY and the Knowledge Framework, and in particular by reporting reflections on definitions and descriptions of DIY, studies of co-design and Social Practice Theory, debate around related issues such as materials, skills and sustainability; • in WP3, WP4, WP5, and WP6 activities, 16 human-centred co-design workshops were held in Italy and Spain. Through the workshops, TT1 tested and validated a specific design process and the related tools, focusing on the importance of creativity in achieving innovation, and identifying a design and creativity based model a...
Main activities and outcomes. Faced with the task of “ethical issues” we decided that we should not try to work on a holistic analysis of “issues” in each of the relevant WP, but rather identify significant problems, that occur in a significant range of DiDIY activities. Our research identified the main problems of a) safety and risk, b) allocation of responsibility, c) threat to intellectual property rights and d) reshaping work and education. We summarised these findings in short accessible text that provides a brief explanation (xxx.xxxxx.xx/xxxx/0000) of the ethical issues. In our context, we generally use the “narrower” notion of DiDIY, i.e., we cover activities where some Atoms-Bits Convergence (ABC) occurs, though we keep an eye on the “broader” notion of digitally enabled DIY. We decided to tackle these problems issues by example through work that lends itself to academic papers. The research has lead to drafts, at various stages of completion, of papers on: • state of the art: DiDIY and product liability; • digital synthetic biology and biohacking; • 3D bioprinting and human enhancement (completed); • digital and physical risk; • DiDIY, cyber-weapons, gun control and file control. Intermediate results have been presented in the Project blog and listed on xxx.xxxxx.xx/xxxxxx, relating to topics such as DiDIY and product liability; the ethics of 3D bioprinting; digitally manufactured weapons and gun control. We also presented draft versions of these papers as invited workshop contributions or as individually invited papers in Munich, [Bielefeld], Leeds, Sheffield, Paris, Copenhagen and Geneva. On the basis of these papers, we produced four deliverables: D3.3, “Ethical issues and work”, D4.6, “Ethical issues in education/research”, D5.6, “Institutions and creative DiDIY”, D6.2, “Ethical impact for regulation”. We made a sub-site for our issue of ethics, the central page of which is xxx.xxxxx.xx/xxxxxx. Here we list the work already performed and in particular together with WP6 we make our bibliography
