How do you ensure that experiential knowledge is truly viewed as essential knowledge? How do you collaborate on an equal footing with people with lived expertise? And how do you prevent yourself, as a researcher, from primarily ‘collecting’ data and contributing little?

More and more researchers and policymakers recognize the necessity of co-creation with experts by experience. However, practice proves challenging: experts by experience are often viewed primarily as a target group and ‘hard to reach,’ there is over-demanding, and research regularly focuses on insights that are ‘reinvented’ time and again. This demonstrates how important it is to learn and coordinate together, so that researchers do not enter the field unprepared.

On Thursday, June 25, DRIFT is organizing a workshop together with ESPhil (Erasmus School of Philosophy), VCC (Vital Cities and Citizens), and CEPHIR to bring together practices within EUR and the Rotterdam region. We will learn from each other, exchange knowledge, and work on better methods. This is a first step towards a network that supports students and researchers and ensures higher-quality collaboration with experts by experience.

Practical

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time: 09:00 – 13:00 (including lunch)
Location: Gemaal op Zuid
Language: Dutch (with room for English contributions)

Program

09:00 – 09:30 | Arrival with coffee & tea
09:30 – 09:45 | Welcome & introduction
09:45 – 10:45 | Inspiring practices
Short presentations by the Raad van Veerkracht, DRIFT, Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie, and Warm Rotterdam on best practices and obstacles.

11:00 – 12:00 | Parallel sessions
Choose from themes such as:

• Epistemic: Why is lived expertise necessary for good research
• Methodological: How do you organize equal collaboration
• Structural: How do we prevent over-demanding and safeguard knowledge?
• Institutional: How do we pool knowledge within EUR/Rotterdam?

12:00 – 12:30 | Plenary: next steps and interest in the expertise network
12:30 – 13:00 | Lunch

Register

Register before June 15 via this form (please note it is in Dutch).