tah-centre.org – Technology, Art, Humanities, Creative and Innovation Centre

We are a creative and innovation centre that aims to support interdisciplinary collaboration in the fields of new technologies, arts, design, humanities, and social sciences across regions in the Czech Republic.

Our essence is to bring knowledge and innovations that transcend any individual discipline, with the goal of contributing to addressing societal challenges, being a partner in shaping public policies, and participating in the development of education and research.

Our strength lies in the collaboration of nearly thirty research institutions, including universities, institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, art academies, technological institutes, and not only humanities and social science faculties.

ABOUT

TAH

The TAH – Center connects individuals and organizations from new technologies, art, and the social sciences and humanities to jointly create sustainable and innovative solutions for the future.

Goal

The TAH Centre aims to establish a national contact point and an analytical, coordination, and popularization centre to support interdisciplinary collaboration.

Mission

Our mission is to foster dialogue between disciplines and create new partnerships for innovative solutions to global challenges faced by humanity and society.

Vision

The vision of the TAH Center is to develop interdisciplinary cooperation that strategically harnesses the potential of art, the social sciences and humanities, and new technologies for the sustainable development of the future.

Current information about TAH activities

OUR STORY

The activities of the center began in the spring of 2023, when a group of experts from the artistic and research communities agreed on the need to systematically deepen relationships between these fields and integrate them into artistic practice, research, innovation, and the growth of the creative economy. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, cybernetics, virtual reality, sound and light design, and synthetic media are shaping our world. The connection between creative and social science approaches is becoming increasingly important to ensure positive and just impacts. In order to maintain the quality of life, economic stability, and a healthy environment for life, we agreed that it is essential not only to connect these fields but also to stimulate systematic changes based on an evidence-based approach.

This idea also underpins the TAH Manifesto, which has so far been endorsed by 44 universities, research organizations, and entities from the non-profit and private sectors. The TAH Center gained legal status in the summer of 2024, when 15 individuals from renowned institutions founded a registered association. The association is open to other individuals and legal entities that share our vision.

In Czech, the word “tah” carries a range of meanings that enrich the understanding of the TAH Center’s name. Literally, tah can mean a “move” in chess, symbolizing a strategic and thoughtful action, much like the center’s interdisciplinary approach to solving complex global challenges. It also refers to the stroke of a paintbrush in art, highlighting creativity. In the context of theater, tah refers to the system that moves stage sets, much like how the TAH Center creates space for change and the pushing of horizons in technology, art, and the social sciences and humanities. And finally, tah in the sense of “pulling” symbolizes forward movement and continuous progress, which the center supports through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

MANIFESTO

The Joint Manifesto sets out our background, commitment and key themes on which we want to focus our attention and publicly declares our readiness to join forces to comprehensively address the challenges of the future. This commitment is structured in the below commitments of the emerging centre.

1

We want to promote interdisciplinarity as a condition for the development of the innovative potential of new technologies, art, social sciences, and the humanities.

We are convinced that new technologies are tools for the growth of the quality of life and the economy. They are also a means of expressing, exploring, and reflecting on the human condition. In a world where the humanities, art, and technology intersect, social science and humanities education and knowledge play a central role in contextualizing, interpreting, and navigating the societal changes that these developments create. We believe that the interdisciplinary principle provides an opportunity to draw on innovative potential across technological, artistic, social science, and humanities fields, thus strengthening their effectiveness in achieving established goals.

2

We want to collaborate and share intellectual potential and research infrastructures to strengthen the practical impact of our efforts.

Our institutions – universities, art schools, art faculties of non-art universities, technological research institutions, and academic workplaces oriented to social sciences and the humanities as well as other partner organizations – are committed to breaking down traditional academic barriers. In our shared efforts, we intend to discover appropriate research findings and combine them and use them to promote innovation that is truly relevant to society. And this is why we intend to support the transfer and enhancement of knowledge for its widest possible use.

3

We will strive to establish a joint centre to support the fulfilment of our visions on a national and international scale.

We undertake a joint commitment to create the TAH platform – Technology, Art, Humanities Creative and Innovation Centre for the interdisciplinary coordination of activities where new technologies meet art and are reflected in the social sciences and the humanities. We will strive to establish the transfer of knowledge of a transdisciplinary nature and to move towards innovations that would be beyond the reach of any single discipline. We want to focus on real, practical, and positive impact on people, society, and the environment for life. In doing so, we will strive for international integration into existing or emerging initiatives of a similar nature.

4

We are open to the challenges of the current and future world and want to resolve them together with other sectors.

We believe that the reflection of experiences and insights on resolving today’s challenges from different angles can bring new perspectives, resources, and opportunities for innovation that is useful for everyone. Hence, we believe that it is crucial to build strong relationships between the academic sector, industry, the government, local government, and the public in order to maximize the impact and scope of our initiatives. We believe that approaching current challenges from different perspectives can reveal new, economically and socially, beneficial opportunities, resources, and innovative solutions, especially in the markets of cultural and creative industries.

5

Together, we will create new study programmes focused on coping with the challenges of the future.

We want to prepare students for a world where technological literacy goes hand in hand with creativity and critical thinking, while considering social, ethical, and environmental impacts. We will cooperate in offering educational programmes not only at the bachelor‘s, master‘s and PhD level, but also as a part of lifelong learning. We believe that multidisciplinary perspectives in education are the right way to prepare society for current and future challenges.

6

We will be actively involved in the creation and implementation of policies, including debates on the fundamental, contemporary problems and future challenges of our civilization.

We understand science, research, and education as the cornerstones of society’s development and key investments requiring adequate funding. We recognize that challenges in research, innovation, economic, social, environmental, or educational policies are complex, and that to make informed decisions, these challenges need to be understood in the widest possible context. Therefore, we intend to jointly envisage possible future development scenarios on a scientific basis and to influence and shape public policies based on a synthesis of knowledge established on the expert of technology, art, social sciences, and the humanities.

7

In order to develop interdisciplinary academic results, we want to innovate our current research methods and develop new methods.

We want to overcome challenges associated with interdisciplinary research or creative methods in which technological competencies are combined with art, creativity, and knowledge in the social sciences and the humanities. We want to achieve this through the establishment of appropriate research and creative methods that are the most natural for drawing on the transdisciplinary potential conceived in this way. In addition, we want the results of these methods to be properly recognized and evaluated. These include then interdisciplinary development of new or creative technologies, artistic research, progressive design, or applied research in the social sciences and the humanities – all of this while taking into account synergies within the fields of science or medicine.

8

We will create a dialogue with the public to increase the impact of our results and engage society in developing research questions.

We perceive the importance of transparent and two-way communication with the public. Therefore, we will be actively involved in the creation of a platform that not only supports the presentation of our achievements to the public, but that will also enable the creation of a space for dialogue that promotes a deeper understanding of its needs, expectations, and concerns. This will allow us to develop research questions and offer solutions that are consistent with a vision of a future where all groups are respected and taken into account.

The entire manifesto, including short-term and medium-term goals, can be downloaded

MANIFESTO SIGNATORIES

AI for Children

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague

Academy of Fine Arts in Prague

Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

Aignos

Anglo-American University in Prague

Arts Institute – Theatre Institute

BRAINZ STUDIOS

Charles University, Centre for Environmental Issues

Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics, CTU

Czech Priorities

Department of Scenography, DAMU

desAIgn

EDU-AI

European Centre for Digital Innovation, CTU

Faculty of Art and Architecture, Technical University of Liberec

Faculty of Art and Design, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University

Faculty of Arts, Charles University

Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava

Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics, Prague

Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Liberec

Faculty of Fine Arts, Brno University of Technology

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University

Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Tomas Bata University in Zlin

Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem

Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University

Future Memory Lab

Future Port

Institute for Czech Literature, Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences

Institute of Spa Treatment and Balneology

Janáček Academy of Performing Arts

Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies, CTU

Opero

OSE Czech Republic

Palacký University Olomouc

Prague Centre for Media Skills (PCMS)

Prague Innovation Institute

Prague School of Creative Communication

Prg.ai

Protestant Theological Faculty, Charles University

Tangible Territory

Technology Centre Prague

Theatre Faculty, Janáček Academy of Performing Arts

The Convergence

University of Creative Communication

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