The Multiversity – a supra-organisational and globalscientific network co-constituting the knowledge society

Intro for a visioning + discussion + preparation meetingResponsibility for this presentation taken by

Günter Koch

Disclaimer: The author is aware, that much high quality analysishas been produced on the issues adressed in this presentation,

most prominently by organisations such as the OECD or by foundations such as of Bertelsmann or of their specialised institute CHE = Centrum

für Hochschulentwicklung - not to mention rankings and studies from education research institutes, as well as from bodies supported

by Governments, the UN, the European Commission and similar. What makes the difference in the discussion presented here is, that the

never questionned fundamental legitimation of the university system, namely its „traditional“ public ownership and its regulations by laws is reconsidered

in the light emerging new paradigms, changing legitimations, changing potentials and new possibilities in the knowledge society.

Why „Multiversity“? – There are many Universums!

(sorry, that the text on this transparency is all in German)

Outline of issues addressed (in an incomplete and tentative way!)

1. The crisis of universities2. The crisis in the orientation in (public funded) research3. Constitution and power of universities4. Constitution and power of the Multiversity5. New processes in doing research, scientific cooperation and learning –

an already existing reality6. New paradigms in non proprietory research: Open source as one

reference7. Community phenomena8. Exploiting ideas from „Wikinomics“ 9. New research paradigms (an topics for transdisciplinary research)10.Ethics and governance11.Alternative concepts – for comparison and for differentiation12.Process of initiation and bootstrapping13.Persons to get engaged and motivations expected14.Potential (legal) formalisations15.Creating an initial infrastructure16.Financing17.Next steps18.Summary and Discussion

1. The crisis of universities

In Europe (by and large, exceptions recognised)• Unclear political decisons on autonomy of the universities• Despite tendency towards more autonomy, strong external and / or internal

regulations, either by law, or by self imposed rules.• Questionable professionalism in university management• Decreasing public financial support (at least, not increasing)• Inherent conflicts not solved: access to university -> masses of students, i.e. accessing versus lack of financial support. Infrastructure quality decreasing.• For reasons of life support, most students cannot use their time for only

following their studies, i.e are stressed in fulfilling their objectives.• Fast changing study programs as short sighted responses to „market needs“• Loss of integrative knowledge acquisition; little to no support for

interdisplinary -> transdisciplinary research

In the US• Foreseeable financial problems both for universities and students• Increasing divergency between high class / top level universities with strong

research competence and „provincial“ teaching universities: relatively few on the top, many in mediocracy

Elsewhere• A combination of these problems

2. The crisis in public funded research

• Directions are given by programs → little space and finances for following own strategies. Applicants are trained to look after topics which are „in favour“ („adaptionism“) • strategic rationale e.g. by bindings to the ‚Grand Challenges‘ not always evident• Mainstream preceeds novelity• New paradigms in research methods are accepted and respected only with delays. Example: transdisciplinary research and new research combinations• New disciplines and subsequent structural adaptions are hard to establish • No well adapted financial concepts for the continuum between funding of research and capitalisation for exploitation • No consistent quality assurance. Evaluation methods not complete. • Little coordination between agencies, in specific across countries and between public and private sponsors („funding egoism“)• Governance dominated by those who can afford to spend their time for such (usually) non well paid jobs. Lack of professionalism.

3. Constitution and power of universities

• General: all universities are legitimated by law and public regulation• Private universities as well are regulated and need to undergo regular accreditation• Government has alle means to govern and to control universities, despite their granting of more autonomy• The „privilege“ of universities is to grant degrees and thereby to open chances for employment and social and economic advantages for its graduates • University laws (in Europe) range from regulation tightly governed by Government towards autonomy and far reaching self administration• Even in case a university law is liberal, the de facto constitution consists of the balancing of power between the university board, the president / rector, and a senate as the representation of the body of professors, assistants and students• Since the professors are the true „agents of influence“ and / or „intellect entrepreneurs“, their communites form an extra-organisational reality beyond their university. Example: Exchange in international research projects and invitations to lectures already create a virtual organisation.

4. Constitution and power of the Multiversity

• The Multiversity implements a Virtual University• The Multiversity has to rely on the existing universities and their infrastructures• It „superseeds“ and recombines the services of existing universities• It is not in contradiction rather than complementary to existing universities• It therefore will look for friendly cooperations. Its value contribution is to generate new knowledge which can hardly be generated within the limits of one singular university• The attractiveness of the Multiversity is made by its offer, to enable scientific exchange between all those acting as carriers and producers of high level knowledge• It opens a space for supporting the development of new research and new disciplines• It deliberately motivates for the manifestation of emerging new approaches in doing research, without being restricted by governing regulations• It is constitutional for what is perceived to become the „Knowledge Society“• Its value and thereby its power is legitimated by the additional values it will generate.• In a stage after its foundation, a suited legal organisation may be constituted in order to make it a legal body and a contract partner for sponsors and supporters.

6. New processes in doing research, scientific cooperation and learning – an already existing reality

• Infrastructures and services in the Information Society induce new forms of learning, working an doing research• Expensive resources, e.g. of labs, are shared on a global basis• Students are already largely using internet based social networks for communication• Much of learning is organised through the internet• Even prominent universities such as MIT offer their courses on the internet for free• „Knowledge“ is accessible at any time, at any place in any form and scope• Research can be distributed. In disciplinces such as biomolecular research teams cooperate on a worldwide basis• A growing number of Nobel Prizes are granted to groups rather than to singular geniouses• New emerging „subcultural“ constitutions of scientic and learning organisations already exist and grow• Global exchange of knowledge is constitutional for generating new knowledge

7. New paradigms in non proprietory research: Open Source as one reference

• Open source cooperation demonstrates an emerging concept of doing research in the future• Open source originally emerged in the software community. The LINUX operation system was a first manifestation of it• In the software business, open source has lead to new (service prone) business models• In general: Open Source is technically possible where the exchange of (mostly immaterial) results is supported (e.g. software, formula, descriptions, designs, receipes, method handbooks, in general: documented knowledge)• Open source, however, is not only limited to software. Projects exist also for hardware (design), medicine (e.g. drug design to fight 3rd World Countries‘ diseases), courseware as well as in literature or music.• The open source is a template for a new way of intelligent people working together. It nurtures hope that many problems of large size or of complex nature can be solved bycooperation („Babylon Projects“ with positive results = „Nolybab Projects“)

8. Exploiting some ideas from „Wikinomics“

• Principles applied in a „University of the Future“: Openess, Peering, Sharing• One consequence: The Berlin Declaration on open and cost free publications, implemented e.g. by [arXiv], World Digital Library, Google Book Search, Public Library of Science, …• Universities like MIT publish their high-level courses for free. Quote: „Free lecture notes, exams, and videos from MIT- no registration required!“ • Further examples for collaborative research in other disciplines: - the Human Genome Project - the Earth System Grid (ESG) for climate studies - Bioinformatics: OpenWetWare• Open Source as (the) one basic paradigm, implemented e.g. by the software community, or by OneWorldHealth, the Gates Foundation et al. in medicine / pharmaceuticals• An example of a new university: INTEL‘s Open University - a set of labs in which each work 20 researchers form INTEL and 20 from universities• After Sta. Fé Instiute‘s analysis, every high-energy Physicist on average collaborates with 173 colleagues in an open way, using open or closed community communication platforms

„Science 2.0“ (after Wikinomics)

Communication and Blog…

… platforms for scientifc Interchange are already offered, e.g.:

• from Seed Media Group with its „Research Blogging“

• http://www.researchblogging.org/

or through an independent system

• http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/

9. New research paradigms (and topics for transdisciplinary research)

• Models for research processes differ in different disciplines. E.g. in pharmaceutical research, the intereaving of basic with applied research is usual• Mode-2-Research is a term invented for decribing the loss of separation of basic research from applied research• Current „Grand Challenges“ e.g. in climate, energy, infrastructure and health research are tried to be met by constituting inter- & multidisciplinary research• Multidisciplinarity maintains the borders between disciplines. In order to overcome such borders, new research process models declared as transdiciplinary research have to be developed• A further new paradigm is to use „the intelligence of the many“ (in its primitive version called „swarm intelligence“) for stimulating new findings• Such new paradigms give impulses or even birth for new disciplines such as complexity research, new approaches in brain research, bioinformatics, cognitive and knowledge sciences – just to name a few• Such new domains are hardly accepted from the beginning as disciplines in their own right.• Scientific carreers are still organised and valued within traditional reference systems / disciplinary rules. E.g. there exists no respected scientific magazines in transdisciplinary research or complexity in which „new researchers“ can publish.

10. Ethics and governance• The Multiversity has to follow „world ethical principles“ in doing science• In specific „Rules of Ethics and Conduct“ as applied by senior scientific organisations (e.g. in the UN domain) shall be adapted• All selection, qualification and valuation processes for doing research shall follow highest standards of scientific work, e.g. as applied by the most excellent organisations• The Multiversity shall be governed by most qualified, independent, wise, not narrow minded and far looking seniors having understood, that the Mulitversity is conceived to implement new paradigms and new approaches in doing research and in opening new domains and topics in science• The governance structure shall be designed such that (a) the aims of the Mulitversity are supported, (b) those becoming and being members of the Multiversity are obliged to commit to the rules of ethics, (c) that the new ways of doing research are rather supported and amplified than hindered or opposed, (d) good cooperation with existing universities is supported• Those initiating, funding or governing the Multiversity shall not claim or be granted any privileges or statuary power other than they already own from elsewhere.• The Multiversity shall be headed and managed by a qualified board having a speaker as its representative. He/she shall be selected and elected also with the votes from a representative set of universities and scientific organisations.

11. Alternative concepts – for comparison and for differentiation

The Multiversity, although unique in its mission and constitution, may fulfilin parts what other institutions or projects with global mission aim to achieve as well.The list of institutes in the sequel are by far not complete nor representative.

• IIASA, Laxenburg Austria: International scientifc institute doing research in domains of global nature and of global interest.• The UN University and the new E.I.T. (The European Institute of Technology)• Special universities under UN regime (such as of IAEA in nuclear knowledge)• Santa Fé Institute: Research carried out by fellows in an Infrastructure, mainly sponsered by private bodies• A series of Think Tanks or Foundations of organisations needing own scientific research as well as Clubs of … Rome, Budapest, Vienna, (New) Paris, …• Permanent Research Consortia such as ERCIM = the European Research Consortium in Informatics and Mathematics• International Research Centers such as the European Research Centers• International Research Societies with own and managed research or research cooperation infrastructures, e.g. in Complexity Research (?)• Universities with an explicit global reach out, either through subsidaries or by a managed network structure, as is currently built up by the Free University of Berlin (FU)

12. Process of initiation and bootstrapping

Extended groupof likely founding

persons…

…with bindings oraffiliations with

academic institutions

Institutional partnersand/ or programs of such…

Coregroup of

initial sup-porters

(persons)

…institutions, being boundinto the global program of the

Multiversity

The Multiversityshall be built-up followng a well defined and professionallymanaged process.

One of the major concernswill be (a) to raise sufficient and sustainable funding,(b) to establish a cooperationInfrastructure and (c) to keepthis infrastructure operational.

Firstconsultations

(initiatedby the Frank-

furt event)

Formal Founding

AssemblyVienna

Jan. 2010

Working

Groups

on spec. subj.

Consolidation,cooperationagreements and initial

fund raising

Inauguration: 2nd half

of 2010

13. Persons to get engaged, and motivations expectedThe Mulitversity shall be intiated an carried to come into existence by a groupof volunteers, the qualifications of whom shall be:

• having experience with universities in general and university (or similar) based research• proving either by their life achievements, or by honours or by excellence in research activities or as „intellect entrepreneurs“ that they have acquired a deeper understanding on (a) how universities works in general, (b) what university (or similar) based research is and (c) having a sense for talents in intellectual work = next generation scientists• to participate in the founding assembly• to actively participate in one of the working groups preparing the constitution and inauguration• being open and open minded not only to tolerate rather than to support actively research work in the framework of the Multiversity• being willing to act as lobbyist towards all partners and institutions the Multiversity will need support from• to actively participate in the recruitement of supporters, members and students• to either approach potential funding persons / bodies or to help to open doors to funding bodies / persons

14. Potential (legal) formalisations

Amongst many options, the Multiversity, for reasons to be able to act as a legalcontract partner and for being founded on legal grounds, will need to decide on one of the following options of its legal form:

• (Non Profit) Association, comparable to Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Germany Advantage: fits to democratic rules and self adimistration idea. Governance can be designed after own decision Disadvantage: Members bear full financial risk; democratic decision making on goverance can potentially lead to instabilities • (Private) University under UK law Advantage: easy to be founded at reasonable cost, little obligations to be fulfilled Disadvantage: Will be criticised of being a non serious alternative university • Foundation under Swiss or NL law Advantage: Favourable tax conditions, suited for attraction of capital from funders Disadvantage: Bound to founding constitution, little democratic decision making• Private company such as a GmbH, a Ltd. or an SE University – in principle – needs to be organised like a company. Advantage: clear rules, easy to be undestood / handled by all stakeholders Disadvantage: threat that the Mulitversity might become considered to be a company.

15. Creating an initial infrastructure

• Asking from a funding sponsor being an IT / software company or an existing university to provide the Multiversity with an appropirate software solution for its administration and operation• Installing a permanently working SKYPE infrastructure between all members as a common minimal telecom infrastructure• Usage of an existing social network system e.g. by occupying an own subsystem within such system (negotation with LinkedIn, XING or similar)• Installing a / the BSCW system• Agreements with suppliers of contents, in specific high quality course material• Organising for free access to databases• Installing or adapting or cooperating with a virtual publication system• Finding / obliging resources for supporting continuous operation of infrastructure• Setting up agreements with universities in being allowed to use their physical or / and virtual infrastructure• Seeking cooperation with open source partners

16. Financing

• Analogous to SKYPE, the Multiversity largely will take advantage of the existing universities and their infrastructure and thereby avoid cost for physical and telecom cost.• This also holds for personal services from professors who will be members of the Multiversity and, in the majority of cases, also officially employed by a university• Cost will be consumed for: - infrastructure, its maintenance and ist contiunous renovation - core office services - travels and meetings of the „carriers“• Income shall be created as follows (in priority order) - institutional membership fee - fundings by private companies - research projects - funds conceptualised and inaugurated by the Mulitversity - „selling“ honour positions free of legal restricitons such as „Senator of Science“• Grants for students - given (likely under some conditions) by sponsors - acquired from whatever sources = organising an intelligent service for targeted acquisition

17. Next steps

• Declaration of commitment to participate of a) those attending the Frankfurt meeting, b) those having been already addressed, but not having been able to show up in Frankfurt, c) further personalities recommended to get involved. • Comments / critique on both this presentation as well as on the draft paper already issued - until latest ….• Identification of further support, incl. for working out some aspects with more competence e.g. in legal issues, as well as for „filling identified wholes“ –> continuous process• Providing recommendations on a) working modes for the initial phase, b) tentative topics, c) financial support until Nov. 15th, 2010• Agreement on the Founding Assembly: Agenda, Location, Date, Management, papers to be prepared, decison on who will / shall be invited beyond those already involved, until Nov. 30th, 2010• Set up of a coarse project plan towards the Multiversity inauguration

18. Summary and Discussion• The (Global) Multiversity is a concept of a global Virtual University complementary to existing universities and research infrastructures. It is constituted after the model and in the spirit of social networks, here for the sake of doing research in the virtual space• The Multiversity will be built upon existing universities and similar institutions• It will be financed mainly by sponsors who have a positive notion of „Wikinomic“ projects• It is devoted to enable research following new paradigms and adressing new topics finding little support in existing universities (or similar)• Its constitution and operation will follow ethical and scientific principles of highest standards• Its governance, as well, will be designed and implemented so that the Multiversity can achieve highest qualitiy in its research• The Multiversity shall be managed by a board the members of which shall also be elected from cooperating universities and / or research organisations • none of the volunteers supporting its funding aim to claim any privilege other than to have contributed to its birth• In its initial phase the Multiversity will only serve professional researchers (university professors), scientific assistants, graduating or postgraduate students and „intellect entrepreneurs“, making academic contributions.• It will become operational until the end of 2011

Prof. DI Günter KochGeneral Secretary of„The New Club of Paris“c/o. execuperyMittelgasse 7A-1060 Wien, AustriaTel. +43-699-19412152e-mail: koch@execupery.com

Contact:

FIN