The conference took place at the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, 30 August – 1 September, 2007, and was organised by the International Science Shops Network, Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, International Network of Engineers and Scientists for global responsibility, Centre for the Sociology of Innovation of the Ecole des Mines, and the “Social and Political Transformations related to Life Sciences and Life Forms” (TSV) research Unit of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).

Darren Sharp of Smart Internet CRC (Australia) was there to present an academic paper drawing on his organisation’s research on user-led innovation, Web 2.0 and participatory media from an upcoming report.

His paper titled “Citizen Innovation: using participatory research for knowledge discovery”, discussed how user-led innovation provides new concepts and methods capable of extending the field of knowledge about participatory research. It explored how practice-based methods such as Participatory Action Research and Community-based Research have facilitated the rise of Citizen Innovation which provides opportunities for citizen empowerment; supports the co-creation of new public-sector services and scientific knowledge discovery; and utilises knowledge that is embodied, experiential and collaboratively produced. The presentation also canvassed pathways for public-sector organisations to leverage the participation of citizens and amateur scientists in the interest of co-creating new forms of knowledge.

In his blog report on the conference, Sharp also mentions his meeting with Eric Seulliet, a Paris-based foresight consultant and founder of La Fabrique du Futur (The Factory of the Future) and their talk on his interesting new book project on user-led innovation.

The 4th Living Knowledge Conference will take place in Dublin, Ireland in 2009.

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- Watch conference video