Regina Sipos

Research Associate and PhD Candidate

Technische Universität Berlin

Institute of Vocational Education and Work Studies

Work, Technology and Participation
Sekr. MAR 1-1
Marchstraße 23
10587 Berlin

Phone: 
Fax: 

E-Mail: sipos@tu-berlin.de

Talk times: by arrangement

Regina Sipos studied Communications, Dutch Philology and Master of Education in Budapest and Antwerp. She founded and set up the first cooperation platform and incubation program of the United Nations for grassroots social-tech projects. She supported the AshokaFoundation between 2016-17 with their digital fellowship strategy and founded her social startup, the Social-Digital Innovation Initiative in 2016. She is a freelancer supporting the utilization of digital technologies, technology transfer and development cooperation and is a fellow at the Centre for Internet and Human Rights. The topic of her PhD is “Critical Technical Practice in Grassroots Innovation”.

• Participatory, community-driven social innovation in grassroots communities
• Open source technology and critical maker culture
• Appropriate technology for social innovation
• Post-colonial Computing
• Critical Technical Practice
• Open Education, Open Knowledge
• IT in Education and Society

Research Associate and PhD Candidate

Technical University Berlin

Institute of Vocational Education and Work Studies

Work, Technology and Participation

• 2016 – : Founder and Director, Social-Digital Innovation Initiative, Berlin, Germany

• 2016 –2017: Manager Ashoka Digital, Ashoka Germany gGmbH, Berlin, Germany

• 2009 –2015: Innovation Program Manager, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland

2004 – 2009: Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary and internship with Erasmus in Antwerp, Belgium, Master’s degrees in:

• Communications
• Dutch Philology
• Master of Education

2002 – 2003: Albertus-Magnus-Gymnasium, Beckum, Germany

1999 – 2004: Szent Istvan Gimnazium, Budapest, Hungary

1991 – 1999: Hungarian-English Bilingual Elementary School, Budapest, Hungary

Knowledge Production with Makers: Situatedness, Infrastructuring, and Criticality – 3 Emerging Research Topics. Citizen Science Social School: Social Dimensions in Citizen Science. Universitat de Barcelona. Winter Semester 2021/2022.

Critical Practice Cases in Social Innovation – Cases from the Global South. Summer Semester 2020/2021, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Masterstudiengang Soziale Innovation.

Social Innovation in Critical Technical Practice in Indonesia. Winter Semester 2020/2021, hybrid plattform: Global Makerspaces – Critical Perspectives, Positions and Practices. University of Arts and Technical University of Berlin. 

Critical Making: Hacking Gender Bias in Engineering Studies. Summer and Winter Semesters 2019/2020/2021/2022, Technical University of Berlin in cooperation with Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation. 

The Future of Technology. Winter semester 2018/19, Technical University of Berlin.

Changes in Digital Technologies and Information Technology. Winter semester 2018/19, Technical University, Berlin.

Vocational Study Projects for K-12 Students. Summer semester 2017/18, Technical University, Berlin.

Social Business Model Canvas for Social-Digital Entrepreneurs. 2017, Berlin and Hungary, Social-Digital Innovation Incubator.

Due Diligence Before Launching a Social-Digital Idea. 2017, Berlin and Hungary, Social-Digital Innovation Barcamps.

Creative Industries: Getting Started with Social Innovation. Winter semester 2015/16, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest.

Sipos, R., Åkerman, M. (2022): Critical Making Responsibility Framework. A Framework for Analyzing Responsible Innovation Processes in Grassroots Innovation (currently under review)

Saari, H., Åkerman, M., Kieslinger, B., Myllyoja, J., Sipos, R. (2021): How Open Is the Maker Movement? Integrative Literature Review of the Openness Practices in the Global Maker Movement. Sustainability 2021, 13, 13559. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413559

Sipos, R., Akerman, M., Wenzelmann, W. (2021): Critical Making Baseline: Towards a Critical Making Responsibility Framework. A report published by the Critical Making Consortium. 

Sipos, R.; Wenzelmann, V.: Critical Making with and For Communities: Community–Driven Critical Making Grounded in Practitioners’ Perspectives on Definition and Praxis. C&T’21: proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Communities & Technologies – Wicked Problems in the Age of Tech, Seattle, USA, June 2021. https://doi.org/10.1145/3461564.3461572 

Sipos, R., Kieslinger, B., Stilz, M. (2021): Critical Making Consortium: Studying Responsible Research and Innovation Principles in the Maker Community. Proceedings of the Objectif Sciences International 12th Geneva Forum at United Nations Conference, 2020. 

Sipos, R., Franzl, K. (2020): Tracing the History of DIY and Maker Culture in Germany. In: Digital Culture and Society special issue on Alternative Histories in DIY Cultures and Maker Utopias.

Sipos, R., Wenzelmann V.; Critical Making with and for Communities. C&T ’19: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Communities & Technologies – Transforming Communities, June 2019, Pages 323–330, https://doi.org/10.1145/3328320.3328410

Sipos, R., Chinoy, S., Ruiz, R.: The Critical Making Movement. How Using Critical Thinking in Technological Practice can Make a Difference. In 35C3 – Refreshing Memories. Chaos Computer Club e.V., ISBN 978-3-947720-31-6, Ach je Verlag, Berlin. 2019.

Life Long Learning: Protection from the Negative Effects of Industry 4.0 (Ami megvéd az Ipar 4.0 negatív hatásaival szemben: tanulás). Budapest, Hungary. Elektronet, 2018/5.

Digital Innovation Made in Africa For Sustainable and Inclusive Development. GIZ. Berlin/Bonn, Germany. 1st Edition, November 2017.

Better, Faster: About the 150 Years Old ITU’s Conference in Budapest (Jobbat, gyorsabban: A 150 éves ITU budapesti konferenciájáról). Budapest, Ungarn. Elektronet, 2015/7.

Time for Ideas. ITU News, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013/4.

EU-SwafS Horizon 2020 grant for Critical Making: RRI Principles in the Maker Community (2021-2023)

Berlin University Alliance funding for Infrastructuring in Grassroots Innovation (2020)

2021

• Maker Meetup, RWTH Aachen University, Media Computing Group (October, Aachen/online): Introducing Critical Making 
• CyFy Conference, ORF Foundation (October, Delhi/online): Co-curator and moderator: Recrafting the Agora: Inclusive Agendas 
• CoAct Citizen Social Science School: Social Dimensions in Citizen Science. Universitat de Barcelona (September, online): Knowledge Production with Makers: Situatedness, Infrastructuring, and Criticality – 3 Emerging Research Topics
• Future University at Ars Electronica Festival and Johannes Kepler Universität (August-September, Linz): Lead Facilitator and Co-Creator 
• 10th International Conference on Communities and Technologies (June, Seattle): Critical Making with and for Communities. Community-Driven Critical Making Grounded in Practitioners’ Perspectives on Definition and Praxis
• Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Masterstudiengang Soziale Innovation (May, Salzburg): Critical Practice Cases in Social Innovation 
• Digital Culture and Society Special Issue Launch Event: Alternative Histories in DIY Cultures & Maker Utopias (April, online): Tracing the History of DIY and Maker Culture in Germany’s Open Workshops
• EU Horizon 2020 Exploring Critical Making Conference (April, online): Curation, design and moderation of the 2-day conference
• hybrid plattform, Global Makerspaces – Critical Perspectives, Positions and Practices (January, Berlin): Social Innovation in Critical Technical Practice in Indonesia
• Critical Making Consortium (January, online): Critical Making Basic Theoretical and Practical Principles: Defining Common Ground. Building the Critical Making Knowledge Base. Case Action: Young Talents – Making and Digitalisation in Education

2020

• techSHE meet-up (December, Hannover): Female Social Entrepreneurs: Inspiration from South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and South America
• United Nations, Forum “Objectif Sciences International” (December, Geneva): Participatory Research, Citizen Sciences, Crowd-Innovation and Fab Labs for Peace and Development track: Critical Making – Studying Responsible Research and Innovation Practices in the Maker Community
• Event of House of Natural Fiber (October, Jogjakarta/online): “Digital Artivism”: Social Solidarity Amidst the Pandemic Crisis 
• Media Startup Fellowship Bootcamp, Media Lab Bayern (September, Munich/online): Coach: Human-centred Design, Testing Assumptions and Pitching
• Datenspuren (September, Dresden/online): Democratizing and Decolonizing the Future. Grassroots Utopias from Indonesia
• Hack from Home Hackathon (May, Indonesia/online): Organizer and mentor: How to Get Started With Your Social Startup
• Prototype Fund (May, Berlin): Jury member for Round 8. An initiative by the Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V. and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
• DAAD Science Lectures (April, Jakarta): Grassroots Innovation Movements
• FOSSASIA (March, Singapore): Sustainable Making Needs Critical Thinking
• HONF x Institut Teknologi Telkom Purwokerto and Purwokerto Semendulur Community (March, Purwokerto): Critical Making 
• Universitas Gadjah Mada, Social Development Talks (February, Jogjakarta): Social Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship and Alternative Business Models

2019 

• ORF Dhaka Global Dialogue (November, Dhaka): Women in the GIG economy 
• ESSI 5th Global Research Conference: Social Innovation and Socio-Digital Transformation – Towards a Comprehensive Innovation Policy (October, Dortmund): Social Innovation in Critical Technical Practice
• Cyfy Conference (October, Delhi): Inclusive Technologies and Democratising Innovation
• CIHR Netzwerktreffen (October, Berlin): Open Source Software, Maker Communities and Governance
• Ars Electronica Festival (September, Austria): Future Innovators Summit, Facilitator of Future Humanity Group
• GATWU Jahrestagung (June, Hamburg, Germany): Souveränität, Entrepreneurship und Beteiligung durch Digitalisierung: Social Entrepreneurship und Digitalisierung
• Communities and Technologies Conference (June, Vienna): Critical Making with and for Communities Workshop
• German-American Conference at Harvard e.V. (May, Berlin): Chancen und Herausforderung für Impact-Driven Technologie Startups in Schwellenländern 
• Prototype Fund (May, Berlin): Jury member for round 6 topic “Commit: System Erneuern”. An initiative by the Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V. and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF).
• Autotopia (May, Leipzig): Interaktiver Workshop Kritische Maker-Kultur
• HubIT Berlin Workshop at the Technical University (April, Berlin): The Origins of Critical Making and Two Examples

2018

• Chaos Communication Congress (December, Leipzig): The Critical Making Movement. How using critical thinking in technological practice can make a difference.
• Prototype Fund (November, Berlin): Jury member for round 5 topic “Maschinen lernen lassen / Technologien für die Zukunft”. Initiative by Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V. and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF).
• Entrepreneurship Summit (October, Berlin): Social Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries
• CyFy Conference (October, Delhi): Women and the Gig Economy
• Hive Europe (June, Berlin): Tech as a Vehicle for Economic Development
• re:publica (May, Berlin): Activating Local Networks
• #AttractYouth (April, Trieste, Italy): CERN Imaging and Detection Technology Transfer Youth Event, Anti-Personnel Landmine Detection coach
• Persist* Summit (April, Berlin): Open Source for Non-Profits
• Nesta (March, remote): A Theoretical Framework for the Digital Social Innovation Index for the European Commission
• FOSDEM (February, Brussels): Cooperative Communities

2017

• Hungarian Social Impact Day (December, Budapest): Hungarian Social Impact Ecosystem
• Ars Electronica Festival (September, Linz, Austria): Future Innovators Summit, Facilitator of Future Work
• ‘Hofgespräch’ Starke Frauen, Starke Wirtschaft (June, Berlin): Digitalisierung: Chance für Frauen oder Dreifachbelastung?
• Prototype Fund (June, Berlin): Jury member for round 2 topic “Tools for an Empowered Civil Society”. Initiative by Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V. and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF).
• LinuxWochen (May, Linz, Austria): Closing Keynote: Beyond the Next Unicorn
• Re:publica (May, Berlin): Can I be Social, Digital and Not Starve?

2016

• ITU Telecom World (November, remote): Jury Member for the ITU Telecom Innovation Awards
• #neuLand (October, Berlin): Jury Member
• QtCon (September, Berlin): Building a Sustainable, Impactful and Open Social Business
• AngelHack (June, Berlin): Jury Member

2015

• Creative Economy Lecture Series, Eötvös Loránd University (November, Budapest): Why Become a Social Entrepreneur?
• Youth and ICTs, ITU (June, Geneva, Switzerland): Inauguration of the New Patron, President Luis Guillermo Solís
• Re:publica (May, Berlin, Germany): Fighting Chronic Disease with Digital Innovation
• ITU Girls in ICT Day (April, Geneva, Switzerland): How Can STEM be Social?

2014

• Ars Electronica Festival (September, Linz, Austria): Young Innovators Competition and Future Innovators Summit

Fellow, Centre for Internet and Human Rights, Viadrina Universität

Changemaker Fellow, 36x36 Network

DAAD-funded field research on Indonesian grassroots innovation and critical technical practice (November 2019 - July 2020)