Nature immersion lab for generating novel knowledge in research

Nature immersion lab is designed to provide quality time for UOC-TRÀNSIC researchers to think, walk, listen and share scientific knowledge at the Collserola Park. This methodology shifts knowledge production from our offices into a shared, outdoor experience and looks forward to mutual learning across different perspectives by breaking down the institutional barriers that fixate researchers into hierarchical roles to more horizontal ones. It is important to note that we do not claim that Nature immersion lab can be used with predictable results. The attempt to step away from the digital grid may trigger psychological and structural friction, such as a persistent feeling of guilt over tasks left aside or the anxiety of workload accumulating. Rather than overlooking these, we ask: can intentional, non-digital cognitive deceleration in shared natural ecosystems break the epistemic bottleneck of hyper-productive academic environments and foster novel thinking? The aim of the project is to influence and transform the cognitive and relational conditions under which scientific knowledge is currently produced. This is not an output-driven endeavor, but is a metabolic intervention in the research process itself. This cannot be answered within a single discipline, but is framed within the scope of epistemological reflection, and it sits at the intersection of socio-ecological systems, reflexive anthropology, and critical pedagogy.