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They want to create real change with their research

Screenshot online participants
In mid-September, SWEAH arranged a first workshop on collaboration and impact. Photo: Lill Eriksson

This week, a first workshop was held for SWEAH PhD students who want to learn more about impact, collaborating with actors outside academia and how to reach decision-makers and achieve real change. It is not always easy and it requires structured work, the participants noted.

On October 15, SWEAH is arranging a second workshop, when a tool that can facilitate this will be examined in more detail. The goal of the activities is that research results from SWEAH will be put into practice to a greater extent.

– In my project today, I have little room to influence different actors, but going forward we need to be able to involve civil society for it to work as well as possible, says Linnéa Körlof, PhD student at Luleå University of Technology, investigating how occupational therapists can support older adults become more socially involved.

– I have started using the tool and realize that this is very difficult. I hope to discuss more about how we can implement what we are researching, that's why I became a PhD student, to make a difference, says Katja Anióse, PhD student at Linköping University, researching how relatives of older adults with hearing loss are affected.

I hope to discuss more about how we can implement what we research, that's why I became a doctoral student, to make a difference.

 

The graduate school has some so-called industrial PhD students, who particularly highlight the need to structure collaboration with their clients.

– There is a positive shift in power when actors are involved and influence the research being conducted. At the same time, there may be different languages ​​and expectations about how we make the journey together. As a collaborative PhD student, dialogue is central to creating a common horizon of understanding. I see matrices that can facilitate and provide support for navigating operational research as very valuable, says Helena Bjurbäck, at Linköping University and the City of Gothenburg.

More participants believe that the initiative enriches their doctoral education.

– We are starting to see that associations and municipalities are interested in our research. The target group in our research often falls between the chairs. How can I be involved in implementing new initiatives – that is interesting, says Jeanne Højgaard-Bøytler, at School of Social Work in Lund. She is researching specialized home care and housing for people who are ageing with harmful substance addiction and complex needs.

 

Read more about SWEAH's collaborative effort.