Researchers on the Move - a KEF-project as a follow-up to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.

More and more we hear that the world has become a global village, and yet, intense and meaningful communica tion and exchange between individuals and cultures is still anything but a given. In addressing the conflicting priorities of the financial sector, climate change, regional and international conflicts as well as political crises, science appears to play a secondary role at best – is this really the case?

It has become more the norm that researchers travel and work internationally. However, Austria has not proven to be the best example in Europe in terms of its treatment of and policies towards people with different backgrounds and nationalities.

Considering this apparent contradiction one might ask: Can Austria be considered as an attractive place for scientific cooperation? What are the living and working conditions for researchers in Austria? The past few years have shown that there is only a very limited level of dialogue possible in Austria about some of its most pressing issues. How and where might science and research position itself with respect to minority cultures and to society as a whole?

“Researchers on the Move. Intercultural Dimensions in Science and Humanities” is a project which facilitates critical discourse about interculturality in science and at the same time creates an opportunity for researchers from different backgrounds and nationalities to meet and exchange their views. The project began in October 2008 with an online forum in which scientists from so called developing countries and internationally active researchers from Austria have been invited to contribute articles and to create a personal blog. Radio programs with interviews, reports and public opinion surveys will constitute yet another aspect of this work. Finally, two workshops in Vienna and in Salzburg will further develop and address issues related to intercultural dimensions in science.

As part of this one-year-long project, researchers from the Commission for Development Studies, Researchers without Borders, Südwind and the Paulo Freire Zentrum will work together on developing a better method for understanding scientific cooperation in an intercultural context. The project further intends to interest and engage other individuals inc luding journalists, researchers and people from the business community, in addition to those currently engaged in the field of international scientific research.