  The science-shop model was initiated in the Netherlands in the 1970s. During
the 1980s, the model spread throughout Europe, but without much coordination.
The crucial idea behind the science shops involves a working relationship
between knowledge-producing institutions like universities and citizen groups
that need answers to relevant questions. More recently, the European Commission
has funded a number of projects for taking stock of the results of science
shops. Twenty-one in-depth case studies by seven science shops across Europe
enable us to draw some conclusions about the variety of experiences in terms of
differences among disciplines, nations, and formats of the historical
institutionalization. The functions of science shops in the mediation of
normative concerns with analytical perspectives can further be specified.
