
Exploring the potential of VR as a space for civic discourse
We talked with Innovation Fellow Gavin Wood about his work inside social virtual reality and the Metaverse.
The Centre for Digital Citizens (CDC) takes an inclusive, participatory approach to the design and evaluation of new technologies and services that support ‘smart; ‘data-rich' living in urban, rural and coastal communities.
We work with citizens and partners to co-design sustainable ‘Digital Social Innovations’ that ensure technologies applications support diverse communities and have long-lasting social value and impact beyond the life of the Centre.
To find out more about our aims and work, please contact Centre Manager, Effie Le Moignan: effie.le-moignan@newcastle.ac.uk
How can technology support non-age biased learning, growth and engagement opportunities across the entire life course?
How will future citizens remain digitally connected with each other, with public services and with the socio-political issues of the day?
The framework will use design-led ‘initiation mechanisms’ such as participatory design workshops, hackathons, community events, citizen labs, open innovation and co-production platform experiments to support the co-creation of research activities.
Driving our programme to address these challenges is our ‘Engaged Citizen Commissioning Framework’. This framework will support citizens’ active engagement in the co-creation of research and critical inquiry.
Our Innovation Fellows, postdoctoral researchers, will engage in a 24-month social innovation programme within the Centre for Digital Citizens. They will pilot Digital Social Innovation projects as part of highly interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder teams.
The outcome of these pilots will be the development of further collaborative bids, venture capital pitches, spin-outs and/or social enterprises. In this way the Centre will act as a catalyst for future innovation-focused Digital Economy activity.