Knowledge Democratization for Inclusive Innovation Systems – a seminar series (5 ECTs )

This seminar series explores pathways that have already been pursued, as well as those that may be opened in the future – to enable advanced knowledge to contribute more effectively to improving living conditions where, and for whom, this is most urgent. The purpose of the seminar series is to seek alternatives for the democratisation of knowledge in the Global South.

About the seminar series

A fundamental question concerning social inclusion is what kinds of knowledge are produced and disseminated within the innovation system, and for whose benefit. This question carries less weight when social inclusion is assumed to arise from the trickle-down effects of increased productivity and economic growth. However, such effects are limited in a world profoundly shaped by knowledge-based inequality and environmental degradation.

Power relations within an innovation system determine who benefits from, and who is disadvantaged by innovation – understood broadly as the effective incorporation of new knowledge into social and economic practices. We argue that prevailing policies in science, technology and innovation tend to reinforce, rather than reduce, knowledge-based inequality. If fostering social inclusion is a goal of an effective innovation system, then alternative policy approaches are required.

The five online seminars

1. Knowledge inequalities and an integrated conception of development
2. Social process of learning and inclusive innovation systems
3. Challenged universities and the developmental university
4. Interactive learning spaces and the productive sector
5. Inclusive innovation and knowledge democratization research

What you will learn

• Understand inclusive innovation systems from diverse theoretical and empirical perspectives, including the roles of power relations, advanced knowledge, and experiences from the Global South in conditions of scarcity. 
• Analyse processes of knowledge democratization and inclusive innovation and assess the potential of different societal arenas for learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing. 
• Critically examine the strengths and limitations of inclusive innovation strategies. 
• Evaluate the role and limitations of universities in inclusive innovation systems, and how they can help reorient knowledge to better serve societal needs. 
• Apply the concept of Sustainable Human Development as a normative framework to identify and strengthen the agency of the least advantaged groups.

Assessment

The assessment task consists of three parts. You are expected to: 

• participate actively in the five seminar sessions 
• read the material provided in advance and prepare questions before each session 
• deliver an essay by the end of the seminars in which you perform a critical evaluation of your own context using the analytical approach discussed in the seminar series

Application

Make sure to apply for the seminar series by September 4, 2026.

Who should apply

The seminar series is open to applicants admitted to a doctoral programme or have a position as academic lecturer or postdoc. 

How to apply

Send your application in an e-mail to Annika Ralfs, course coordinator, at this e-mail address: annika [dot] ralfs [at] circle [dot] lu [dot] se (annika[dot]ralfs[at]circle[dot]lu[dot]se) no later than September 4, 2026.

• The application should include a letter of interest and a short CV.
• If you are a member of CIRCLE, please indicate that in your application.

Organisers and funders of the Seminar Series