Researchers from the School of Communication and Culture helping municipal managers to handle the challenges of the future 

In the spring of 2020, Thisted Municipality sent nine managers on a course developed by the Centre for Digital Transformation in Cities and Communities to learn how to handle the kind of digital reality that municipalities have to navigate these days. 

Adriënne Heijnen works at the Department of Information Studies, where she has been involved for several years in Smart Cities and digitalisation in EU projects alongside Martin Brynskov. Following an inquiry from Thisted Municipality and with the support of the school, she helped to develop a short, customised course for the municipal managers focusing on digital transformations. 

Thisted Municipality were already familiar with Martin Brynskov and his research because they were members of the same network. The municipality were interested in research-based knowledge to help them solve a number of specific problems caused by the fact that digital developments affect the entire municipal organisation all the way from waste management systems to education. 

Thisted Municipality on a digital development course 

Following an inquiry by the municipality and a subsequent discussion of content and price, Adriënne Heijnen and Martin Brynskov developed a 3.5-day course. The course was based on the knowledge and experience gained by the two researchers in their projects – which they were keen to use in practice. Administrative contact with the municipality – including negotiations about the price, dates and contractual issues – was provided by the school’s research consultant, enabling Brynskov and Heijnen to concentrate on the content of the course. 

On the first day of the course, the participants were presented with a theoretical framework for the issues facing the municipality. Heijnen and Brynskov also presented a general introduction to best practice in this field, as well as good examples of how other people (both in Denmark and abroad) had coped with similar challenges. During the rest of the course the participants focused on how Thisted Municipality could meet their challenges while complying with the municipality’s visions, strategies and values – in a manner which made it possible to learn from other people’s experiences. To ensure that the course was as practical and relevant as possible, all the participants had been asked to choose a case in advance. Feedback was given on each case at the end of the course, providing the municipality with research-based advice to solve its particular problems. 

Adriënne Heijnen’s reasons for collaborating with municipalities 

• Heijnen underlines that courses like this sometimes give research environments a financial boost, enabling them to appoint research assistants on short-term contracts. 
• From a research perspective, such courses can give you access to valuable research data and networks which can be used in connection with research projects. 
• They make it possible to test your research in the real world to determine its relevance and impact. 

Adriënne Heijnen’s good advice and points of focus 

• It is sometimes difficult to convert your research for use in the kind of specific situations that your partner is facing. Researchers are more used to a theoretical perspective than a practical perspective. 
• You need administrative back-up and support from the outset, helping you to maintain the best possible professional image. Research centres don’t normally focus on developing or conducting courses, so it’s important to contact a research consultant (Nina Thiele Zeiss or Pernille Roholt) to get help in connection with negotiations, feedback and course evaluations.