History and Past Activities
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History and Past Activities |
ESA Conference: Ageing Societies, New Sociology
September 23-26, 2003 in Murcia, Spain
Two streams of sessions of the
Research Network 18: Sociology of Science and Technology (SSTNET)
Convenors:
Raymund Werle: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Köln, Germany (werle@mpi-fg-koeln.mpg.de)
Marja Häyrinen Alestalo: Dept. of Sociology, University of Helsinki, Finland (marja.alestalo@helsinki.fi)
Luísa Oliveira: DINÂMIA/ISCTE, Lisboa, Portugal (luisa.oliveira@iscte.pt)
Maarten Mentzel: 38 Johan de Wittstraat, 2334 AR Leiden, The Netherlands (m.a.mentzel@planet.nl)
First Stream: Governing Science and Technology in the Era of Globalization
Thursday Sept. 25
09.00 - 11.00 session 5 (Campus de La Merced)
Chair: Marja Häyrinen-Alestalo
5.3. Author(s): Bechmann, Gotthard
Institution: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Technik und Umwelt
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
Professional Category: Senior Research Fellow
City: Karlsruhe
Country: Germany
E-mail: bechmann@itas.fzk.de
THE GLOBALISATION OF RESEARCH: THE EXAMPLE OF FUSION RESEARCH
The concept of ‘global science’ has seldom been used with theoretical specifications. It contains two mechanisms that enhance the interconnection of scientific activities: the global diffusion and the global interconnectedness. While the global diffusion refers to the expansion of certain scientific knowledge and institutional forms around the world, the global interconnectedness is characterized by the reciprocal relationship among scientists and research institutions beyond the national boundaries.
On the basis of this distinction, this paper examines how these two mechanisms have been realized in the case of fusion research.
In this sense globalisation means not only the world-wide linking of financial markets and the permanent availability of information and communication networks, but it, above all, refers to the establishment of organisations governing global R&D processes. Thus, globalisation of R&D includes the creation of a form of universal knowledge, the emergence of new forms of communication and cooperation in science and new forms of R&D organisations.
As a result fusion appears as one of the few truly globalised projects in science because it can:
no longer be executed simply as a national project, both in that it transcends the organisation of science in disciplines and requires new structures for international cooperation.
only be developed further as a network of internationally staffed teams collaborating in global networks.
Science is being politicised by projects like fusion to the extent that work is being done on problems of global survival and that science is accepting responsibility for societal solutions. Scientific research and political-strategic solutions are linked inextricably.
Sociology of Science and Technology NETwork - last update: April 2006