Reflections from Participants

The Road Ahead: Public Dialogue on Science and Technology brings together some of the UK’s leading thinkers and practitioners in science and society to ask where we have got to, how we have got here, why we are doing what we are doing and what we should do next. The collection of essays aims to provide policy makers and dialogue deliverers with insights into how dialogue could be used in the future to strengthen the links between science and society. It is introduced by Professor Kathy Sykes, one of the UK’s best known science communicators, who is also the head of the Sciencewise-ERC Steering Group, and Jack Stilgoe, a DEMOS associate, who compiled the collection

On Prospective Technology Studies

This volume includes papers to technological foresight, roadmapping and TA from two sources. On the one side it is based on a workshop in Budapest at the end of 2007, that was organized in the framework of the International Forum on Sustainable Technological Development. On the other side selected presentations from the symposium on History of Prospective Technology Studies, in the framework of the XXIII International Congress of History of Science and Technology, Budapest, July 2009

An Annotated Bibliography of Recent Literature on Current Developments in Philanthropy

As philanthropic organizations play an increasingly important role in societies around the world, the research on philanthropy – from giving and volunteering practices to regulatory frameworks to digital innovations – has also evolved in recent decades. It is important to develop a thorough overview of the relevant scientific discourses and literature on current developments in philanthropy. This will allow researchers and practitioners to enhance the understanding of philanthropy and to improve its practice worldwide. This report provides new insights on current developments and important changes in the global philanthropic landscape, including trends in global philanthropy and its interaction with other sectors of society

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Sustainable Development Report: Blockchain, the Web3 & the SDGs

This is an output paper of the applied research that was conducted between July 2018 - October 2019 funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and conducted by the Research Institute for Cryptoeconomics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development).Series: Working Paper Series / Institute for Cryptoeconomics / Interdisciplinary Researc

Big data for monitoring educational systems

This report considers “how advances in big data are likely to transform the context and methodology of monitoring educational systems within a long-term perspective (10-30 years) and impact the evidence based policy development in the sector”, big data are “large amounts of different types of data produced with high velocity from a high number of various types of sources.” Five independent experts were commissioned by Ecorys, responding to themes of: students' privacy, educational equity and efficiency, student tracking, assessment and skills. The experts were asked to consider the “macro perspective on governance on educational systems at all levels from primary, secondary education and tertiary – the latter covering all aspects of tertiary from further, to higher, and to VET”, prioritising primary and secondary levels of education

The Economics of Big Science

The essays in this open access volume identify the key ingredients for success in capitalizing on public investments in scientific projects and the development of large-scale research infrastructures. Investment in science – whether in education and training or through public funding for developing new research tools and technologies – is a crucial priority. Authors from big research laboratories/organizations, funding agencies and academia discuss how investing in science can produce societal benefits as well as identifying future challenges for scientists and policy makers. The volume cites different ways to assess the socio-economic impact of Research Infrastructures and their role as hubs of global collaboration, creativity and innovation. It highlights the different benefits stemming from fundamental research at the local, national and global level, while also inviting us to rethink the notion of “benefit” in the 21st century. Public investment is required to maintain the pace of technological and scientific advancements over the next decades. Far from advocating a radical transformation and massive expansion in funding, the authors suggest ways for maintaining a strong foundation of science and research to ensure that we continue to benefit from the outputs. The volume draws inspiration from the first “Economics of Big Science” workshop, held in Brussels in 2019 with the aim of creating a new space for dialogue and interaction between representatives of Big Science organizations, policy makers and academia. It aspires to provide useful reading for policy makers, scientists and students of science, who are increasingly called upon to explain the value of fundamental research and adopt the language and logic of economics when engaging in policy discussions

Governing the mission-oriented transition towards a circular infrastructure sector: From ideals to new socio-technical systems

Circularity has become a central approach to making the infrastructure sector more future proof. As such, circularity is positioned as a transformative mission. However, the socio-technical transition required to achieve this mission is steeped in complexity, uncertainty, and contestation, making its governance a tricky exercise. This PhD dissertation delves into the systemic barriers to the mission-oriented transition and offers various ways to deal with those on a sectoral, organizational, and inter-organizational level. By doing so, this dissertation aims to equip scholars and practitioners with the tools to effectively steer and support the transition towards a circular infrastructure sector. The first study identifies three causal cycles that act as systemic barriers to the transition: one regarding the contestation of the circularity concept, one regarding learning and upscaling, and a final cycle on rigid procurement approaches that hamper radical innovations. The first cycle, regarding the contestation of circularity, is examined in more detail in the second study as it forms the most deeply-rooted barrier. The third study presents a governance approach to steer mission-oriented transitions, acknowledging their inherently complex, uncertain, and contested nature. How organizations deal with the external pressures caused by the circularity mission is investigated in the fourth study within the Dutch infrastructure system. Finally, the fifth study explores how the innovation ecosystem approach can help the circularity transition by introducing long-term oriented forms of collaboration to support innovation beyond single infrastructure projects. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the implications for both practice and theory, extending beyond the individual studies to offer actionable perspectives for various domains and actor types in academia and practice