Thank you Sachiko for the link to the document (and for writing it in the first place 
)
We wrote an a little bit more extensive summary of the discussion, also with thoughts from other workshops and discussions, sometimes mixed with our own ideas. We are very happy if you comment and extend with your thoughts, since we see everything just from our newcomers perspective. I will just paste the text here for now, maybe we can make a google doc out of it later. Once more, thank you for the awesome conference!! Jakob
Our summary is focused on the question:
What can we learn from Biofabbing and its participants in order to open the most awesome lab?
The content of this summary is mostly inspired and created by the participants mixed with some of our thoughts. Please feel free to add your experiences and knowledge!
- Inspiration
- Structure
- Community
- Public Awareness
- Projects
- Workshop
- Events
- Money
- Location
-
Equipment & Basic Materials
- Tipps
##1. INSPIRAON
STAY OPEN MINDED
Everyone who wants to get inspired and wants to learn is welcome, even if we don’t share all values. The projects still have to fit our values.
Meet up with ppl sharing different values (opposite) in order to learn.
REFLECT - „Remember when science was fun“
Free science from institutions
- back to its essence
- cheaper results (see 4 thieves of vinegar collective)
Why are schools/ universities/ institutions „bad“?
- what can we keep?
- what should be changed and why?
Is DIY BIO the new form of working in the science field? If yes, what are the consequences for
- community
- education
- ethics
!!!Set clear goals!!!
##2. STRUCTURE
Decision making
- internal meeting once a week
- feedback from citizens
- set a set of rules
- if set of rules does not work - be situational elastic
- consensus
- Do you need/ want a driving force or will ideas emerge from the community?
- transparency (intern - not to much to the outside; meaning that private things stay internal)
Write down the working hours - most hrs -> more impact on decision making
Invite members of one of our communities to stay at the lab to consult us
3. COMMUNITY
AWARENESS
What is the intent?
What do they want? What are their Goals? What are their wishes?
What makes science sexy? - How do I get ppl interested in science?
- Shock! (use current trend topic) - create interest (robots are „more interesting“ than plants)
- Explain sth easy to understand - create awareness
- Show sth easy to try and repeatable (at home) - create knowledge
Specials citizens day (even if they can come every day)
Community sitze min: 4-5 ppl
- how can we get members? (Facebook, Meet Up,…)
BENEFITS
Local subjective needs we feel to fill
##4. PUBLIC AWARENESS
MEDIA
Media awareness: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
- Who is the best journalist to write on the project?
- Is writing an article on your own an option?
- On which platform do you want to occur?
- Who is covering similar projects?
- Tell a story (analogy) that describes your passion!
- Put it in the context with a current trend topic!
- Tell specific ppl the story they want to hear
MARKETING
What are we standing for
Put documents somewhere on your website - maybe also the meeting agendas and the protocols
Press access only to team members that can handle that type of contact
Write your own articles
##5. PROJECTS
Prototype Projects: bring together interdisciplinary experts for a (eg) 3 day hackathon
- topic
- courses
- lab
- product
Call for project: ppl propose projects and search for team members (see Hackuarium)
Cool Projects - Flagship Project - even easy, do not aim to high!
Start with something that interests you and try to make a workshop out of it (Biomimicry)
Create a workshop out of the projects
- share the acquired knowledge
- material for PR
##6. WORKSHOPS
Sustainable development Workshops
- Biomimicry
- Find an idea
- Realize it!
Document the workshops (Photos, text , video, photobook,…)
- publicity for sponsoring partners
- publicity for lab
- open science concept (how we did it and how it worked out; what worked, what did not work, what did we learn …)
Powerpoint presentation/ article about the WS on our website
LOCATION - think out of the box
(High)Schools
Museums
Festivals
Bus through Europe (around the World)
(workshop) trip to Sponsoring partner
PPL
- sponsoring partner
family Workshop
kids
…
MONEY
50% to the teacher, 50% to the lab
- set aside money for new materials
##7. EVENTS
Once a week (regular citizens meetings)
Number your events - Regular and consistent
##8. MONEY
Try to be independent from funding
Keep 3 month / 2 years of rent in the bank or distribute the risk among the board (min around 5 ppl)
Show the funders the space and make the project visual and easy to understand
Talk about money and say what you want - you never know who you are talking with!
Prices: eg Workshops:
Workshop with documentation & material … __€
Workshop with documentation …__€
Workshop without documentation …__€
- make it variable so that the costumer can chose the best option for him/herself
Transparency about funding and also the contract - stay independent
- social media
##9. LOCATION
- Search for something in your surrounding to „dock on“ (if you have a space in mind or even more concrete)
##10. EQUIPMENT & BASIC MATERIALS
University
Companies
Professors
Hospitals
##11. TIPPS
This is your child - Try things you like (personal motivation)
- otherwise you will have an inflation of ideas (if you make your program (only) dependent on the wishes of the community, state…
- Whats the exact concept?
You are not what you claim, you are what you do - the definition comes by itself
Try to be independent from funding
Stay stubborn
Not to many concepts at first
Make sure that the space is accessible
Make sure that you are as mobile as possible (eg if you suddenly have to move)
Funders did not understand the concept/idea because they could not see it
Use meetup to get new members (team) or to get interested citizens to work with you
„Patterns for Hackerspaces“ - Mitch Altman
Honesty
Create WIN - WIN or LOSE - LOSE situations
