Popular Legal Culture – a case study of a social innovation project. Theoretical assumption

The article concerns an original project entitled Popular Legal Culture, carried out at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the CPAiTT as part of the Innovation Leaders Academy program. The text mainly describes the assumptions of this project in the context of the implementation of the third evaluation criterion (social impact). An important accent of this study is the presentation of a research concept that fits into the action research framework, which allows not only to diagnose and describe reality, but also to design corrective actions, introduce specific solutions and evaluate them. The project is innovative and interventional in nature, and the research itself is based on a participatory model. The text strongly emphasizes the need to conduct scientific research beyond the traditional strategy of basic research. Not instead, but next to it. The study is therefore a record of the research path leading from the development of the concept, to the requirements for academic social influence (criterion III) and to planning and developing social implementation. A series of scientific publications was planned for the Popular Legal Culture project. The following is part of the first stage, during which the theoretical assumptions and background of activities are described.