Conference: 13–14 June 2019 

Pre-conference: 12 June 2019

Deadline for abstracts: 18 January 2019

Location: Tampere University, Finland

THE CONFERENCE

The field of science and technology studies (STS) has become increasingly prominent in Nordic countries. The biennial Nordic STS conference promotes exchange of ideas and collaboration among STS scholars by providing a regional forum for presenting on-going research, networking, and initiating new ideas and conversations. The Nordic STS conference has been organised since 2013, when the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture/TIK at University of Oslo took the initiative of organising the first conference. 

The 4th Nordic STS conference will be held at Tampere University, Finland, in 13–14 June. A pre-conference workshop for junior researchers will take place 12 June.

At the fourth Nordic STS conference the keynote speakers are: Harro van Lente (Maastricht University), Mianna Meskus (Tampere University) and Maria Nedeva (University of Manchester). The conference is organised in collaboration with The Finnish Society for Science and Technology Studies and the Research Center for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, Tampere University.

RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

During the conference, a session “Responsible research and innovation in science and technology” will be organized. The proposed thematic session aims to contribute to the ongoing conceptual debate on RRI especially and pressure to implement the responsibility in research and innovation more generally, by exploring the state of knowledge about different aspects of RRI related to S&T, and current practices of implementation of the RRI framework in the S&T context. In a public discourse, innovations are no longer perceived solely in terms of technological development and economic growth. Increasingly broader economic, social, cultural, environmental and political impact is taken into consideration.

The RRI approach focuses on effects and implications of innovations in this broader sense, which might be otherwise unforeseen during the process of working on the development of the improved products, processes, services etc. While RRI has its forerunners, for example in technology assessment practices, RRI extends the idea of ethical behavior and responsibility from the research process to societal impacts and consequences of innovation.

The session welcomes contributions investigating innovations and S&T sector in the context of responsibility from the perspective of various S&T stakeholders: industry, national and regional policymakers, researchers, nongovernmental organizations, civil society etc.

The call for papers for the conference and the pre-conference are now open.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS

The abstracts of proposed presentations (max 300 words) should include the names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses of the presenters. You can find the details of the thematic sessions here

Please submit your abstracts by January 18, 2019, through this link

The authors of accepted abstracts will be informed no later than March 1, 2019.

Registration fee (includes lunch and coffee for June 13 and 14):

  • 100 euros
  • 60 euros (students and doctoral researchers)

More information about the conference here and on Facebook