the mission of germ
In spite of the strong push of the European policy makers toward an ever deeper integration of the SSH (social sciences and humanities) and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in collaborative research and educational processes, as the prerequisite of achieving the goals of the so-called "twin transition," i.e., digital and green, European academia remains ossified in its Habitus and institutional traditions. Entrepreneurial endeavors are regarded as degrading to "true science" and to higher learning. Policy analysis and applied SSH knowledge is, yet again, treated as 'inferior' of some sort, and we are basing these statements on previous personal experiences in academia of the GERM's affiliates. In order to propel the transformative force of higher education and scientific production, in particular research and innovation oriented studies, regarding the socio-economic reality of the European continent facing a climate crisis, we established this little company where policy analysis, new scientific methodologies and innovative teaching styles will be developed. In order to germinate new forms of knowledge premised on deep interdisciplinarity between SSH and STEM, we will engage in scientific and technological innovation accompanied with scientifically grounded vision of socio-economic transformation that can tackle the climate emergency and other challenges to global sustainability. We focus on the European continent (regardless of whether EU or not) and the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area, but we also imagine our production as global too, being aware the aforementioned issues concern the planet and Europe's embeddedness in the global context.
Future plans
Furthermore, we:
- maintain digital research labs, initiated by us or our partner institutions and organizations, but also host and curate such labs initiated by individual researchers and groups of researchers that reach out to us;
- publish original papers, patents, artistic work
- publication and sales of monographs and journals
- digital and hybrid informal education, symposia, conferences, summer schools, winter colloquia and research and art centered festivals promulgating deep integration of the SSH and the STEM.
- maintain digital research labs, initiated by us or our partner institutions and organizations, but also host and curate such labs initiated by individual researchers and groups of researchers that reach out to us;
- publish original papers, patents, artistic work
- publication and sales of monographs and journals
- digital and hybrid informal education, symposia, conferences, summer schools, winter colloquia and research and art centered festivals promulgating deep integration of the SSH and the STEM.