Co-creation in Complexity: Volt-Age Living Labs

Join an interactive workshop with Jennifer Garard, Director of Living Labs at Volt-Age!

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Time, Technology, and Capitalism (CIRTTC) and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture (CISSC) working group "Algorithmic Technology and Society" are hosting the event.

Volt-Age is a research program led by Concordia University in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Calgary, and Dalhousie University.

Supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), Volt-Age accelerates electrification in Canada by uniting expertise across engineering, sciences, and the humanities, working closely with industry and community partners to drive impactful innovation.

A key aspect of Volt-Age is the development of a network of Living Labs — spaces designed for collaborative engagement between researchers and societal stakeholders throughout the innovation process, from defining problems to testing solutions. These Living Labs enable diverse groups to co-create innovative solutions in real-world settings.

Workshop focus:

• As innovative solutions to accelerate electrification increasingly include highly complex technologies and digital tools, how can meaningful co-creation truly take place? What are the equity and justice implications of co-creation both within and between communities?
• This interactive workshop will begin with a brief presentation to set the context, followed by facilitated discussions.

Event details:

• November 22, from 10 to 11.30 a.m
• The workshop will take place in the Schulman Room (02) of the Liberal Arts College (RR annex), 2040 Mackay
• Registration is free; please confirm your interest to help us plan accordingly: the.cirttc@gmail.com. We will send you a calendar invitation!

Jennifer Garard is the Director of Living Labs at Volt-Age. Her work focuses on bringing people together from different communities and research domains to cultivate mutual understanding and to create collaborative work environments where systemic challenges are tackled collectively.

She has experience with stakeholder engagement at the science-policy-society interface, collective intelligence, and strategic foresight stemming from non-profit, academic, and intergovernmental organizations.