University West

University West is located in Trollhättan, Sweden and has about 730 employees and 13 000 students. Our profile and area of specialization is Work-integrated Learning (WIL) which runs through our education from undergraduate to PhD-levels as well being a central research focus. We understand WIL in three ways:

1. As a pedagogical philosophy where we view theoretical and practical knowledge as equally important and mutually dependent on each other, which means that we strive for co-creative research 
2. As a pedagogical method where we strive to integrate practical and theoretical knowledge in our courses and programs and where working life is a natural part
3. A field of study or discipline where we do research on knowledge and learning processes in working life understood in a broad sense 

University West’s SIRR team consists of Professor Per Assmo, Associate Professor Fredrik Sunnemark and Ms. Wilma Lundqvist Westin. Our research focus is on three specific areas:

• to do qualitative mapping of knowledge development in partaking hubs
• to study citizen participation in socio-economic development
• to develop theoretical models for relating and integrating the Multi Helix Model with WIL to both understand and facilitate learning processes

Furthermore, we will actively work to enhance and develop a close connection and collaboration between the Sotenäs Hub, and the University West Societal Impact Hub. In our research and development activities, we will also integrate students from the master’s program in Work Integrated Political Studies (WIPS) at University West, as well as PhD students where suitable.