Roskilde University

Roskilde University (RUC) is a public university which was originally established in order to challenge academic traditions and to experiment with new ways to create and acquire knowledge. RUC cultivates a project- and problem-oriented approach to knowledge creation, because the most relevant results are obtained by solving real problems in collaboration with others. RUC employs an interdisciplinary approach, because no major problems are ever resolved on the basis of any single academic discipline alone. RUC is a member of the European Reform University Alliance and the Critical Edge Alliance. Some 7,500 students are enrolled at RUC in a variety of undergraduate and graduate study programs, and RUC has some 950 staff members.

Role within SHAPEDEM-EU

Within the SHAPEDEM-EU project, RUC is the lead partner for Work Package 1 (WP1). Thus, RUC leads in the establishment of a conceptual framework to enable the consortium to address SHAPEDEM-EU’s academic goals. The overall objective of WP1 is to conceptualise practices of democracy, democratic politics, and democracy support amidst multi-layered practices of contestation. From this assessment, WP1 develops a conceptual basis to serve as the analytical foundation of the consortium’s empirical research and activities. Moreover, RUC contributes to almost all other work packages, for example, by supporting partners in developing their research design, by ensuring that the project’s conceptual and empirical work go hand in hand, and by taking on empirical case studies.