SciArt Collaborations at the Joint Research Centre: Understanding and evaluating transdisciplinary innovation beyond economic value

This paper contributes to our understanding of how artists working with scientists generate innovation, of which kinds, and their impact. We question normative assumptions regarding artistic and scientific work and its outputs as specified by the Knowledge Valorization Framework adopted by the Commission’s R&I strategy, pointing to a disconnect between EU and academic discourse resulting from a lack of theorisation concerning how artists produce knowledge as advanced by theories of arts-based research (ABR). To investigate the appropriateness of either framework our paper focuses on collaborations conducted by the SciArt project at the Joint Research Centre given its position as a knowledge-for-policy service for the European Commission at the nexus between science, policy, and society. Findings are based upon four months of ethnographic research conducted by the lead author who performed a bottom-up coding of how artistic and scientific work and thinking were defined by 31 artists, scientists and policymakers involved in these transdisciplinary projects. We argue that theories of ABR must be adopted to understand artistic work within joint research processes, how innovation occurs in collaboration, and of what types. We show how SciArt collaborations generated research outputs including novel strategies for conveying knowledge to broad audiences (artwork), the redefinition of research questions and policies, novel applications of technologies, and methodologies for citizen engagement. Framing these outcomes as innovation, we argue that research centres must focus upon understanding and supporting relational, immaterial changes generated by transdisciplinary collaborations rather than over-emphasizing economic value as a required research output.

GREAVES Sofia;  BENINCASA Caterina;  BERNARDI Virginia;  EECKELS Adriaan; 

2025-09-03

ELSEVIER

JRC138331

1879-2383 (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138331,   

10.1016/j.technovation.2025.103229 (online),