School of Knowledge Sciences (SKS)

• The School of Knowledge Sciences (SKS) is committed to the Agenda 2030 of the UN and to contributing to the achievement of the SDGs – at all levels of society: individual, organisational, societal, global.
• Academic advancements shall contribute – even beyond the Agenda 2030 – to better lives, organizational performance, as well as to societal and global development.
• The SKS is therefore not technology-oriented, or human-centric, but impact-oriented, integrative and transdisciplinary. The SKS addresses knowledge as a resource in all scientific or thematic areas, sectors.
• Based on its strong commitment to the SDGs, the SKS seeks collaboration with the UN, specifically with
  • UNESCO due to its thematic focus on knowledge societies
  • UN University due to its academic orientation towards the SDGs
  • UNDP due to its integrative role in development
  • SDG knowledge partnerships due to their essential thematic role

• Knowledge science may be seen as a scientific discipline on its own, characterized by knowledge as its primary object of research. However, major amounts of knowledge-relevant knowledge is anchored (through terms, theories, approaches, practical application, and more) in disciplines like philosophy, sociology, psychology, education science, neurosciences, data and information science, management science, law, and many more. Therefore the SKS is defined as a school of knowledge sciences with a plural s.
• Knowledge workers are confronted with a number of topics that go beyond one single scientific disciplines and beyond science as such. Therefor a transdisciplinary – or antidisciplinary – approach is needed.
• The global orientation, putting the SDGs into focus, requires a global and multi-stakeholder approach for the School of Knowledge Science itself.
• The SKS shall not be independent of political, scientific, economic interest. It is rather “omnidependant”, meaning that success comes only if value is created to its multiple partners. Therefore the SKS is not anchored within one single domain, like an academic institution or a business framework, but in K4DP as a global multi-stakeholder partnership itself.
• The knowledge assets of the SKS (human, structure, relation assets) are not with the SKS itself, but with its partners. SKS links them and makes them accessible to its partners. Implementation of programmes is with local partners.

The capability to create value from knowledge requires an understanding of various knowledge sciences.

Knowledge sciences are too complex to be substantially covered in short courses or trainings. Dedicated education is needed to understand the essential dimensions of knowledge and qualifying for a range of knowledge professions.

• Knowledge scientists qualify as professional Knowledge Managers, creating value from knowledge from a systematic, targeted, integrated approach to knowledge.
• Knowledge scientists qualify as knowledge architects/engineergs, developing structures (like ontologies, knowledge graphs) for searching/finding, AI apps and other knowledge-processing IT-Tools
• Knowledge scientists qualify as communication professionals, facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration and co-creativity in global, multi-stakeholder setups, developing smart knowledge products and services.
• Knowledge scientists qualify as development professional finding solutions to fight knowledge divide, advance diversity of knowledge, protect traditional/indigenous knowledge.
• Knowledge scientists qualify for knowledge, innovation, and learning politics in cities, nations, regions, assessing capacities, developing knowledge strategies, advancing knowledge ecosystems, advising politicians.
• Knowledge scientists qualify to advance knowledge skills ranging from (re)searching, acquiring, creating, learning, sharing, applying, capturing, reflecting, assessing knowledge in any thematic field.

All of these with fundamental knowledge sciences and additional specialisations.

• Knowledge science and skills are needed in any scientific field. The SKS therefore complements other academic studies as a “studium generale” (general studies).
• Likewise, knowledge sciences need other disciplines for practical applications. Partnerships with SDG knowledge hubs are a important to materialize the knowledge in concrete sectors (like health knowledge, climate knowledge, etc.).
• Specializations, like health knowledge sciences, climate knowledge science, etc. could be established mid-term an provide students an easier and more targeted entry into practical doing and ease avail better job opportunities.

• The full spectrum of knowledge sciences with all its linkages in wider knowledge ecosystems requires transdisciplinary research and usually goes beyond the capacities of singular research institutes or institutions.
• Maintaining a clear scientific profile today requires specialisation. Therefore even those initiatives, which claimed a comprehensive academic orientation toward knowledge science, tended to develop into a thematic specialisation (like “technology” or “creation of knowledge”, where they create the highest scientific output.
• Intercultural research is needed to address intercultural collaboration in global multi-stakeholder partnerships
• Comparative research on knowledge ecosystems in various cultural, regional, political context can help understanding context-factors, learn from best practices and failure.
• Evidence on global goals, like knowledge divide, knowledge diversity, knowledge skills, and other social aspects require global collaboration.
• Identifying and disseminating good practices requires active sharing by the partners. The inclusion of non-scientists is necessary. This again justifies the hosting of the School of Knowledge Sciences at K4DP, a global multi-stakeholder partnership itself.

Partnership and a joint – or aligned – research agenda are needed, following the principle of subsidiarity.

The School of Knowledge Sciences does not claim covering all knowledge sciences itself, but

• identifies academic partners with research capacities and educational offerings (or aspiration to do so)
• facilitates communication and collaboration to better coordinate towards joint/aligned research agenda
• facilitates co-creation of curricula for academic programmes, which can be approved within their local context
• help to define standards and facilitate exchange of students
• forms a global faculty to teach at whichever place
• provides courses and programmes to complement existing programmes
• develops communication channels to disseminate the findings (like policy briefs and more)

Activities of partners or other activities within K4DP (youth programme), shall be aligned in an open, transparent, and accountable way.