The European Science Foundation has released a new report titled 'Science in Society: Caring for our Futures in Turbulent Times.' Recent times have seen the world having to learn to deal with austerity, libel and new models of business. This all happens at a time when innovation is being promoted more vigorously than ever as a way out of crisis and as a foundation for future prosperity. As the report argues, increased governance of science and technology and the sense of continued austerity raise significant implications for science-society relations.
The report calls for a more careful approach to the meaning of the notions 'science' and 'society' as articulated in many programmes, activities and policy discourses because neither 'science' nor 'society' are homogenous entities. The report also advocates a shift of our attention in approaches to science-society issues to move from a logic of clear-cut choices - that suggest the idea of a linear problem-solving - to a logic of care, which admits an adaptive process of dealing with these issues in the face of diversity and rapid change already present well before 'the crisis' label.
Key recommendations touch upon five broad areas: Linking excellence to relevance and responsibility; 'Science-society activities'; Plurality matters; Expanding and creating new spaces for science-society interactions; and Making time-space for reflexive work.
The report was formally launched at the Lithuanian EU Presidency conference 'Horizons for Social Sciences and Humanities' in Vilnius on September 23-24, 2013 (http://horizons.mruni.eu/).
