Upcoming presentations and keynotes

I am giving the following talks in March:

3 March: The Market State (with Ove Kaj Pedersen), Aarhus University

5 March: HEJ TECH (with Anders Morgenthaler), Copenhagen

6 March: The Reputational Structure of Open Access, Aarhus University

10 March: What is Human Science?, University of Copenhagen

12 March: Open Innovation (with Alfred Birkegaard), Copenhagen

14 March: Philosophy TED Talk, University of Copenhagen

19 March: Sociology of Scientific Knowledge, Aarhus University

Follow talks and updates on Twitter @HumanomicsMap

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Global Excellence: New Drivers and Innovative Solutions

Dr. David Budtz Pedersen organized the session “Global Excellence: New Drivers and Innovative Solutions” at this year’s American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Annual Meeting 2014, 13-17 February, Chicago. The session was held  on Sunday 16 February, 10h00 AM – 11h30 AM (Hyatt Regency Chicago). The session featuredPresident of The European Research Council (ERC), Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, Suzanne Fortier, President of Nanyang Technological University, Bertil Andersson and former Secretary-General of the Swedish Academy of Science, Gunnar Öquest.

Session Description
Excellence in science has, time and again, changed our lives and our thinking. The quest for scientific excellence has become a global driver for scientific institutions. In virtually every country, governments, citizens, and industry look toward science to find solutions to the grand challenges of our time, including climate change, energy and food security, and sustainable resources. None of these solutions will be delivered without a comprehensive research capacity, including pioneering research and groundbreaking ideas. Yet, an important risk when addressing society’s need for solutions is the over-prescription and over-direction of research portfolios. There is a need to maintain flexibility and encourage creativity and disruptive thinking while recognizing the need for long-term investments. In consequence, a number of funding programs in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia have begun to support initiatives for scientific “excellence” that have the potential to radically transform the research frontier and advance the next generation of scientific leaders. This session explores some of the most promising strategies that the U.S., Canada, EU, and Asia have adopted to promote scientific excellence and top-quality research. Speakers will address questions about where global excellence is headed and how best to support and stimulate excellent innovative frontier science.

World Science Forum 2013

David Budtz Pedersen is invited delegate to the World Science Forum in Rio de Janeiro 24 – 27 November 2013. Since 2001, the World Science Forum has taken place every second year addressing issues such as “Knowledge and Society” (2003), “Knowledge, Ethics and Responsibility” (2005), “Investing in Knowledge” (2007), “Knowledge and Future” (2009) and “The Changing Landscape of Science” (2011). The theme of the 2013 WSF will be “Science for Global Sustainable Development”. Among other important issues the conference will address barriers for global sustainability; science policy and governance; scientific integrity; science for natural resources, and the roles of science in innovation. The conference is co-organised by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

Ethics, Science, Technology and Engineering

David Budtz Pedersen has contributed a chapter on ‘Research Evaluation’ to the forthcoming book Ethics, Science, Technology and Engineering, 2nd Edition (ESTE-2). ESTE-2 is intended to be a standard peer-reviewed reference work for researchers, teachers, librarians and journalists. The first edition of Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (ESTE-1) was published in four volumes by Macmillan Reference in 2005. The book was widely and favorably reviewed, and was honored among the “best of reference” by the New York Public Library. J. Britt Holbrook and Carl Mitcham serve as editor-in-chief and associate editor of the ESTE-2.

Member of The Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective

David Budtz Pedersen is a new member of the Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective (SERRC). Launched on 15 November 2011, “the Collective” serves as both the digital wing of the journal Social Epistemology, encouraging dialogue on published articles, and as an independent platform for scholarship, commentary and judgment on issues related to knowledge culture and policy. At the moment, the Collective comprises 39 members based in 16 countries. The disciplinary backgrounds of the members are diverse, ranging from business administration, philosophy, sociology, history, literature to science and technology studies, biology and psychology. The diverse outlook shares a common sensibility found in the research program of social epistemology.

Humanomics Research Programme moves to University of Copenhagen

Research director and Professor Frederik Stjernfelt and Co-Director David Budtz Pedersen will from 1 January 2014 be employed at University of Copenhagen. Both researchers will return to their old departments:  Frederik Stjernfelt will be employed as Professor of Semiotics, History of Ideas, and Theory of Science at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, while David Budtz Pedersen will continue his work as Co-Director and Research Fellow of Humanomics and his research in political epistemology at Department of Media, Cognition and Communication’s Philosophy Section.
See more here.

The role of humanities in addressing society’s grand challenges

David Budtz Pedersen spoke at the high-level policy symposium “Renaissance of the Humanities” in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday 11 July, 2013. Evidence suggests that at present the humanities contribute only in a haphazard way – indirectly and accidentally – to societal strengths. They could contribute in more strategic ways. What reforms or evolution would be required to bring this about? For example: in terms of reward structure, research grant allocations, knowledge transfer, training and recruitment? Where do the humanities fit in the account of economic and political progress? Topics such as innovation, leadership, communication, creativity, human capital, flexibility of mind and the capacity to cope with changes are important skills when addressing the global political, economic and social challenges.

Mapping interdisciplinary collaboration

David Budtz Pedersen gave an invited lecture at King’s College London on 17 June 2013. He was invited as part of the conference “Interdisciplinarity” organised by Nikolas Rose, Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine. The talk centered on the relation between inter-, multi- and transdisciplinarity and the concept of scientific integration.

Scientific Evidence and Policy-Making

David Budtz Pedersen has contributed a chapter in a new book series “Science in the Public Interest: Vol. 1” (Brussels: SciCom). Policymaking depends for its legitimacy on robust scientific advice. But there has to be a fine balance between the roles of scientific advisers and policymakers. It is not for scientists to make policy, or for politicians to bend or ignore science to serve their own political ends. Only if this balance is achieved can citizens be confident that they are getting ‘evidence-based policy’ rather than ‘policy-biased evidence’.

Double lecture in Rome on the humanities

I gave two lectures at the seminar “Humanities & Humanistic Values in Society” at The Royal Netherlands Institute and The Danish Academy in Rome 23-24 May, 2013. The seminar aimed at fostering a constructive and forward-looking debate on how the humanities and business community can collaborate to unfold the human resources of the job market, add value and create responsible growth and innovation. Conclusions from the seminar will be presented later this year in Melbourne, Australia and Aarhus University.