Artificial Biology, Robotics and Art

Artificial Biology, Robotics and Art (ABRA) is a strategic partnership that cultivates transdisciplinary knowledge and capacity building in higher education. The project is funded by an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership Grant.

ABRA focuses on innovation and creativity in education by developing transdisciplinary methods and curriculum that bridge the arts, science and engineering for enhanced sustainability, specialising in the fields of artificial biology, robotics and art. The project is led by the Research Laboratory for Art and Technology (RELATE) in collaboration with the Human-Robot Interaction Lab. The consortium brings together partners from the Center for Integrative Biology CIBIO at University of Trento in Italy, Aalto University in Finland and the Institute of Advanced Design Studies in Hungary.

The project explicitly promotes transdisciplinary knowledge and capacity building in higher education in order to tackle the skills gaps in addressing environmental problems and climate change, and promoting excellence in teaching and skills development for students and educators. Through transdisciplinary teaching and training workshops, ABRA facilitates the exchange of best practices that foster creativity and innovation while developing a shared language that prepares students and teachers to tackle complex problems related to sustainability and come up with solutions relevant in the twenty-first century.

During the three-year project (2020-2023), the consortium will develop transdisciplinary curriculum for a new joint masters degree that bridges the arts and humanities with sciences and engineering. The project will also host events, workshops and symposia throughout, with activities planned at AAU for September 2021.

ABRA also builds strong alliances of researchers and teaching staff across three faculties at AAU: Humanities, Technical Faculty of IT and Design, and Engineering.

The goals of the project are:

- to create new pathways for art + science + engineering-driven creativity and innovation
- to promote transdisciplinary knowledge exchange across Europe
- to address environmental issues and climate change through strategic, sustainable actions
- to empower students and researchers to develop new processes, technologies, and methods of applying existing technology towards sustainable solutions