Challenging Futures of Science in Society

1
Challenging Futures of Science in Society
Emerging trends and cutting-edge issues
2
The MASIS Expert Group reporting to the
European Commission (2009)

• Chair Karen Siune (Denmark)
• Rapporteur Eszter Markus (Hungary)
• Members
• Marina Calloni, (Italy)
• Ulrike Felt, (Austria)
• Andrzej Gorski, (Poland)
• Armin Grunwald, (Germany)
• Arie Rip, (The Netherlands)
• Vladimir de Semir, (Spain)
• Sally Wyatt (UK/The Netherlands)

3

• Motto
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article
  27
• Everyone has the right freely
• to participate in the cultural life of the
  community,
• to enjoy the arts and
• to share in scientific advancement and its
  benefits.

4
Mandate of the MASIS Expert Group

• From Science and Society (FP6)
• To Science in Society (FP7)
• What are the challenges?
• What are the trends?
• What are the cutting edge issues?

5
Action lines in SiS

• From public understanding to public engagement
• Governance
• Communication
• Strenghtening potential
• The role of law

6
Questions we discussed in MASIS expert group

• What is the role of science in society?
• What is the place of science in society?
• What are the trends?
• Is there something that is European?
• What are the cutting edge issues?
• What are the challenging futures?

7
What is the place of science in society?

• Ongoing transformations
• Recontextualisation of science
• Strategic research
• Tensions and frictions
• Cultural diversity
• Revival of excellence
• Democratisation of science

8
Uses of science in society

• The innovation dimension ensuring economic
  growth
• The quality of life dimension health
• The political dimension expert advice to policy
  makers and to the public
• The cultural dimension respecting cultural
  diversities
• The intellectual dimension sustainable
  development!

9
Social actors as stakeholders

• What is at stake?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• Increase in number of stakeholders!
• Different types of stakeholders
• Cutting edge issues
• Disagreements about the role of science between
  different types of stakeholders

10
Governance and the Role of Science in Society

• Science and policy making
• Governance of scientific institutions
• Scientific integrity, academic freedom
• Ethicisation, the role of norms
• The role of law?
• The role of technology assesments
• Democratisation

11
Governance

• A theme in research-policy studies
• Governance includes structures and processes
  within decision making
• Who is trying to influence the policy process?
• How to engage citizens in research policy?
• Good research is something that can make citizens
  life better!
• Good research is something that can give economic
  growth to Europe

12
Strengthening potential

• Strengthening ERA!
• Global mobility
• Human capabilities
• Science carreers
• Cutting edge issue Industrialized science?

13
Inclusiveness, equal treatment and equal chance

• Women in scienceA new quality of science?
  Capabilities!
• Young people in scienceMaking science more
  attractive!
• MinoritiesDiversity as richness!

14
Science communication

• From transmission to transaction (trend)
• Communicating science
• Why and what?
• By whom, to whom and how?
• Public understanding of science (cutting edge
  issue)
• Challenges in the internet age!

15
A European model of SiS?

• Components of a European model
• Joint policies
• Researchers educated across Europe
• Networks European and global
• Mobility globally
• Awareness of the opportunities in a European
  model
• Willingness and interest at national/European
  level
• Problems related to a standardized European model

16
Challenging Futures

• Will values that unify EU prevail?
• or will values that show differences prevail?
• Differences acknowledged are
• Cultural
• Social - educational
• Political
• Economic and in research traditions

17
Emerging European identity?

• Science in society can have a role to play
• in creating greater European identity
• by embracing the diversity of national values.
• That is a challenging future!

18
Increased communication

• Dissemination of all scientific results is
  necessary
• All means of communication shall be used
• Traditional media as well as
• New internet based forms.
• It is a challenge to engage and activate
  citizens!

19
How to engage citizens?

• Information provided is not enough!
• Public understanding is not enough!
• Citizens must be empowered! How?
• Democracy can take many forms!
• What difference can law make?
• Will European citizenship increase participatory
  practise? Cutting edge issue!

20
Challenging futures

• Diversified Europe
• Growing number of stakeholders
• Not all want publicity differences in values
• Growing public distrust
• Changing mode of knowledge creation
• Accountability requirements
• How to allow for dynamic governance?