About the researcher
Marco Wiersma is a researcher with a background in applied research, education and practice-oriented innovation. His work is driven by a long-standing interest in how people and organisations learn when outcomes are uncertain and established ways of working come under pressure.
​
The researcher was employed as a lecturer at Rotterdam University of Applied
Sciences, where he fulfilled multiple roles related to the research. He was affiliated
with the research centre Creating010, a collaborative institute within RUAS, and
actively contributed to projects at the Centre of Expertise HRTech, TKI Dinalog, and
Topsector Logistiek. His involvement extended to consortium-based initiatives such as
the TNO Transfer Skills project, as well as engagements with the Research Centre EMI
Urban Innovation (Living Lab), the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague (MRDH),
Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, and two field labs.
​
To support the research objectives, a dedicated design lab named Next Professional
Design was established. This lab, among the first of its kind within RUAS, was
developed based on insights from preliminary phases and served as a platform for
testing specific design interventions. Additionally, the research incorporated
collaboration with the Rotterdam University Wicked Problems Plaza, Innovation
Quarter, and multiple municipalities including Rotterdam, Schiedam, Delft, and The
Hague.
​
The research engaged students from diverse vocational backgrounds—including
logistics, HRM, and the arts—working collaboratively within differentiated groups such
as field labs, design labs, solution labs, and living labs.
Case selection for the research was guided by regional policies and challenges within
the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague, TKI/Dinalog, the Rotterdam The Hague
Innovation Airport. Cases included public-private partnerships, consortia, branch
organizations, and individual student-led projects, ensuring a multifaceted and
contextually grounded research scope.