How can we build a sustainable society in the face of digital transformation and the climate crisis? What does it mean to understand the interplay of urban, educational, or healthcare systems not only through a technological lens but also from social and environmental perspectives? These are the questions being tackled by the newly established Human-Environment-Technology (HET) Systems Center at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), led by internationally experienced researcher Dr. Sergio Jofre.
The center, under his leadership, was created in response to the increasingly complex challenges facing modern society – from climate change to the human impact of technological progress. In this interview, Dr. Jofre shares the center’s mission, vision, and his personal motivation, explaining why HET systems research is becoming strategically important both for Lithuania and the global community.
The MRU HET Systems Center is focused on analyzing how people, the environment, and technology interact, the challenges this interaction creates, and what solutions can be developed in key areas such as transport, healthcare, education, energy, and urban development. The center places a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, aiming to contribute to the development of sustainable and innovative solutions on both national and international levels.
"Imagine a complex puzzle where each piece is interconnected and dependent on the others. This puzzle helps us understand how humans, their environment, and the technologies they create interact with one another. Humans are the active element, shaping the world through knowledge, skills, and creativity. The environment includes both natural resources and human-made structures. Technologies are the tools, devices, methods, and systems we develop to engage with or transform our surroundings," says Dr. Sergio Jofre.
For example, as the MRU researcher points out, urban transportation is a classic example of an HET system. Cities are full of cars, buses, trains, and bicycles – all reflecting the interaction between people, the environment, and technology. Driver behavior, roads, air quality, traffic lights, and navigation apps – all of these elements are integral parts of the HET system. Designing, managing, and maintaining such a system is a highly complex task that requires interdisciplinary knowledge and significant resources.
“The Centre’s mission is to investigate the complexity of HET systems that are essential for the functioning of society, to raise awareness of emerging challenges, and to explore potential solutions. Our goal is to consolidate high-level research and education in this field on an international scale, while maintaining a strong focus on national and regional needs. We aim to develop an effective framework for the design and management of HET systems—one that can be applied across various sectors,” says Dr. Sergio Jofre.
At the same time, the HET Systems Center contributes to MRU’s strategic goals – the ambition to become a leading social sciences institution that integrates digital and technological competencies into its research and study processes.
– What is the importance of this Center for the University? Why is it important for MRU to have a HET Systems Center? we asked the Head of the HET Systems Center.
– The establishment of the Center is a direct response to the University’s strategy, which is focused on increasing internationalization and interdisciplinarity. We are currently forming an international team and building a cooperation network across Europe, Asia, and Oceania. We are involving MRU researchers as well as members of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA) – at the moment, the Center hosts an ERUA research cluster on ‘Digital Inclusion.’ Digital transformation is our main research direction – it is changing not only the economy, but also human behavior and the functioning of society as a whole. We aim to better understand how digital technologies affect people and the environment, and what impact they have on resilience, security, social inclusion, and resource efficiency. We are also developing study programs aimed at preparing a new generation of professionals who will contribute to implementing digital and green transitions. Lithuania is in great need of such specialists, which is why the Center’s activities are strategically important both for the national economy and for the well-being of society.
– What makes the MRU HET Systems Center unique and interesting?
– The concept of HET systems is new, so one of our most important tasks is to establish it both as a theoretical and a practical research direction. Unlike traditional socio-technical systems research, we place special emphasis on the role of the environment as a key factor that determines what we can actually do. This means we should not adapt the environment to our needs, but rather adapt ourselves to it – using technology as a means to create harmony. Climate change and other global challenges are pushing us to rethink the relationship between technology and the environment. Addressing complex problems requires not only interdisciplinary knowledge, but also creativity and imagination.
– How important are such centres in European and global universities?
–Today, as the world faces increasingly frequent global challenges and life becomes more unpredictable, integrated and interdisciplinary research approaches are becoming a necessity. The priorities of the European Union clearly emphasize the need to combine the green and digital transitions and to strengthen the resilience of societies.However, technologies do not always align with sustainability principles – for instance, while e-books help reduce paper consumption, the devices we use to read them bring new environmental challenges.
This is why more and more interdisciplinary research centres are being established to help address such complex issues. Cross-border cooperation is expanding, clusters are being formed, and businesses and social partners are actively engaging in research activities. Universities are also seeking new models for study programmes that integrate social, environmental, and technological competencies.
– What are your personal expectations for the centre in the next few years? What results would satisfy you?
– Our ambition is to transform the Centre into a new faculty within MRU’s structure. A small but active, vibrant, international and interdisciplinary faculty with technical competences that will complement and enhance the work and impact of MRU in social sciences and social innovation. We want our work to be recognized and appreciated for its originality and quality, both in Lithuania and within the international academic community.
– Why are you personally interested in this project?
– It’s a great opportunity to test my abilities, keep learning, and work with inspiring people from all around the world. The idea behind the HET Centre is closely linked to my personal academic journey — I’ve worked in different countries, across various fields, cultures, and environments. Interdisciplinarity and internationalization have fundamentally changed my perspective. I want to pass this experience on to a new generation of researchers and professionals — this brings me immense professional and personal joy.