Res Publica

Res Publica

Responsibility, practice and the public good across Digital Life.

Highlights 2021

During 2021, our research focused on questions of digital data, the commons, and democratic governance. We did research on health data and the public good, the politics of bioprospecting, and governance of digital contact tracing apps. As the project is in its concluding year, a highlight was to see that our work resulted in many publications.

We would like to highlight two main outputs: the book “Questing Excellence in Academia” published by Routledge, and two articles in a special issue on digital sovereignty in Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift. Transdisciplinarity means to contribute to and to draw on experience-based knowledge, and to involve relevant societal actors.

In the last year, Res Publica participated in the network project’s seminar series at the Literature house in Trondheim. The aim of these public debates was to engage actors from politics and industry, as well as a wider public, in topics that are relevant from an RRI-perspective. Res Publica also substantially contributed to improving DLN’s transdisciplinarity efforts presented in the White Paper on Transdisciplinarity.

Scientific publications 2021: 6

Project overview

Project lead: Heidrun Åm
Institution: NTNU
Partners: UiB, UiO, Maastricht University, University of Edinburgh School of Social and Political Science, University of Vienna, University of Amsterdam
Duration: Start-up 2017

Publications

 

  • Åm, Heidrun (2022). Oppdrettslaks i medvind og motvind. In Finstad, Terje; Kvaal, Stig; Stokland, Håkon B. & Østby, Per (Ed.), Matens meglere. Kontroll, kvalitet og kunnskap i den industrielle matens tid. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 978-82-02-65233-3. p. 269–293. doi: https:/doi.org/10.23865/noasp.155.ch10. Full text in Research Archive
  • Metzler, Ingrid & Åm, Heidrun (2022). How the governance of and through digital contact tracing technologies shapes geographies of power. Policy & Politics. ISSN 0305-5736. 50(2), p. 181–198. doi: 10.1332/030557321x16420096592965. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2022). Nytenkning og nyskaping.Samfunnsendring gjennom forskning og innovasjon. In Frønes, Ivar & Kjølsrød, Lise (Ed.), Det norske samfunn : bind 2. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205572300. p. 156–178. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hesjedal, Maria Bårdsen & Åm, Heidrun (2022). Making sense of transdisciplinarity: Interpreting science policy in a biotechnology centre. Science and Public Policy. ISSN 0302-3427. 50(2), p. 219–229. doi: 10.1093/scipol/scac055. Full text in Research Archive
  • Solbu, Gisle (2021). Frictions in the bioeconomy? A case study of policy translations and innovation practices. Science and Public Policy. ISSN 0302-3427. 48(6), p. 911–920. doi: 10.1093/scipol/scab068. Full text in Research Archive
  • Åm, Heidrun; Frøyhaug, Marte & Tøndel, Gunhild (2021). Helsedata som gullgruve? Forventninger til kommersialisering av helsedata i Norge. Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift. ISSN 0800-336X. 38(1-2), p. 86–98. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-3053-2021-01-02-08. Full text in Research Archive
  • Delgado , Ana & Åm, Heidrun (2021). Biologisk mangfold og selvråderett - hvorfor digitale genetiske data ikke er "den nye oljen" . Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift. ISSN 0800-336X. 38(01-02), p. 45–57. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-3053-2021-01-02-05.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2021). A critical policy study on why introducing resource rent taxation in Norwegian salmon aquaculture failed. Marine Policy. ISSN 0308-597X. 131. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104692. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2021). STS as a Lens to Study Disciplines and Interdisciplinarity. A Comment on Sharon Traweek’s ‘I Prefer the Map'. Engaging Science, Technology, and Society. ISSN 2413-8053. 7(2), p. 88–96. doi: 10.17351/ests2021.857. Full text in Research Archive
  • Åm, Heidrun; Solbu, Gisle & Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2020). The imagined scientist of science governance. Social Studies of Science. ISSN 0306-3127. doi: 10.1177/0306312720962573. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hesjedal, Maria Bårdsen; Åm, Heidrun; Sørensen, Knut Holtan & Strand, Roger (2020). Transforming Scientists’ Understanding of Science–Society Relations. Stimulating Double‑Loop Learning when Teaching RRI. Science and Engineering Ethics. ISSN 1353-3452. 26, p. 1633–1653. doi: 10.1007/s11948-020-00208-2. Full text in Research Archive
  • Åm, Heidrun (2019). Limits of decentered governance in science-society policies. Journal of Responsible Innovation. ISSN 2329-9460. 6(2), p. 163–178. doi: 10.1080/23299460.2019.1605483. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2019). "Mas, mas, mas - over hele linja". In Tjora, Aksel (Eds.), Universitetskamp. Scandinavian Academic Press. ISSN 978-82-304-0247-4. p. 448–481. Full text in Research Archive
  • Delgado , Ana & Åm, Heidrun (2018). Experiments in interdisciplinarity: Responsible research and innovation and the public good. PLoS Biology. ISSN 1544-9173. 16:e2003921(3), p. 1–8. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003921. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in Cristin

  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2022). The black-boxing of universities and their role in science-society relations.
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2022). Fra vitenskapsstudier til studier av universiteter: Kontekst og kultur.
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2022). 'Excellence' og nyliberale kunnskapspoliitikker: Trussel mot akademisk autonomi, kollegialitet og akademisk medborgerskap.
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2022). The black-boxing of universities and their role in science-society relations.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2022). RRI as ambiguous tool to reform university research.
  • Åm, Heidrun & Metzler, Ingrid (2021). Technological democracy in the making? A comparison of debates on digital contact tracing apps in Norway and Austria.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2021). Helsedata som gullgruve . [Radio]. P2.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2021). Forestillinger om forskere i forskningspolitikk og -praksis: Forskjellige logikker i spill.
  • Åm, Heidrun & Frøyhaug, Marte (2021). Dokumenter som kvalitative primærdata. In Stuvøy, Ingvill; Tøndel, Gunhild & Tjora, Aksel (Ed.), En smak av forskning. Bacheloroppgaven som prosjekt, prosess og produkt. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 978-82-02-70942-6. p. 177–185.
  • Åm, Heidrun; Fuglestad, Eirik Magnus & Vik, Jostein (2021). Grunnrentelandet. Klassekampen. ISSN 0805-3839.
  • Solbu, Gisle (2021). An introduction to Responsible Research and Innovation.
  • Delgado , Ana (2020). In the Biodiscovery Pipeline: On Promising Microbes, Rare Environments and Icy Frontiers .
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2020). Telle eller tenke – om publiseringspresset på regnearkuniversitetet .
  • Solbu, Gisle (2020). Responsible Research and Innovation in the context of Digital Life Norway.
  • Delgado , Ana (2020). On Arctic Microbes and Augmented Promise: The Digital Turn in Bioprospecting.
  • Solbu, Gisle & Akbarzadeh, Anita (2020). Make your own DLN Reading Club. Digital Life Norway Blog.
  • Solbu, Gisle (2020). Antibiotikautfordringen trenger tverrfaglig problemsløsning. Digitalt Life Norway Blog.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2020). Exploring choreographies of responsibilities: Biotechnology research, farmed salmon, and public issues .
  • Åm, Heidrun (2020). The Norwegian debate on tax on rent in salmon farming. A pragmatist policy analysis of an attempt of re-politicizing salmon governance .
  • Solbu, Gisle (2020). Who carries the burden of translation labour in antimicrobial research and policy?
  • Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2020). Academic citizenship, the management of excellence, and the neo-liberal universities.
  • Delgado , Ana (2019). Res Publica: Responsibility, practice and the public good across Digital Life Norway.
  • Delgado , Ana (2019). Bioprospecting for antibiotic compounds and the promissory nature of infrastructures.
  • Delgado , Ana (2019). Bioprospecting for new antibiotic compounds and the promissory nature of in- frastructures.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2019). Politics instead of ethics: Which room for transformative science policy interventions in research practice? .
  • Delgado , Ana & Aasheim, Sissel Småland (2019). Res Publica project poster.
  • Solbu, Gisle & Åm, Heidrun (2019). How many jobs has your research created? Constructing Value From Norwegian Biotechnology Research .
  • Åm, Heidrun (2019). Which Common Good Do We Talk About? Digital Life Norway and Value Creation.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2019). Doing RRI in Norway.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2019). What next, DLN?
  • Delgado , Ana (2019). Bioprospecting in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol: From Physical Samples to Digital Collections”.
  • Delgado , Ana (2019). The public life of microbes. The case of bioprospecting in Norway.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2018). STS and democratization of science-society-relations.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2018). The republic of ELSA and RRI.
  • Solbu, Gisle (2018). AMR and the bioeconomy - a case study of AMR research in Norway.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2018). VESTFRONTMØTET: Vil du oppgradere til kroppen 2.0? [Radio]. Panelsamtale under Olavsfestdagene, overført på NRK P2.
  • Solbu, Gisle & Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2018). Auspicious, Anxious or Ambiguous Enactments? Studying the Socialisation of NET through News Media.
  • Solbu, Gisle (2018). A case study of AMR research in Norway - AMR and Innovation.
  • Solbu, Gisle; Åm, Heidrun & Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2018). AMR and the Bioeconomy.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2018). Hvordan integrere RRI i forskningspraksis?
  • Åm, Heidrun; Solbu, Gisle & Sørensen, Knut Holtan (2018). Tensions in research governance: Science policy, public concerns, and research practices.
  • Åm, Heidrun & Åm, Trond Grønli (2018). Tappet for energi. www.universitetsavisa.no.
  • Åm, Heidrun & Åm, Trond Grønli (2018). Forskningsetikk: Mindre press framfor flere krav. www.universitetsavisa.no.
  • Åm, Heidrun (2018). A plan for teaching RRI.
  • Åm, Trond Grønli & Åm, Heidrun (2018). Ny vår for humanistene. www.universitetsavisa.no.
  • Normannsen, Sølvi Waterloo; Åm, Heidrun & Brautaset, Trygve (2017). Ansvarlig forskning i bioteknologi: Heidrun Åm får 10 mill. for å forske på om biotekforskning kommer samfunnet til gode. [Internet]. Universitetsavisa.

View all works in Cristin

Research group

This project represents a strengthening and extension of the research and work to establish a novel platform for Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in the Center for Digital Life Norway (DLN). DNL was established in February 2016 and aims at creating a strong and coherent national platform for transdisciplinary and digitalized biotechnology. All activities within DLN are supposed to be underpinned by the principle and practice of RRI.

This research project aims to improve RRI activities across DLN and its research projects by addressing RRI in terms of res publica (i.e. common good and public concerns) and by situating RRI also in the socio-political-economic context pertinent to DLN. With a departure point in DLN, we investigate how RRI can be integrated in three domains of practices: 1) scientific practices, mediation and evaluation, 2) innovation practices, and 3) policy and institutional practices.

Based on previous research and on experiences from working with DLN, we know that translating RRI into appropriate practices is more demanding than anticipated in mainstream RRI scholarship and policies. In action research, we will together with DLN's scientists elaborate how RRI can be shaped and implemented under the conditions they work in and look for alternative designs for distributing collective responsibilities.

The project will be a significant contribution to international Research on RRI in three ways. First, it takes RRI theory further by introducing practice theory as an approach to study the formation of public concerns as well as to identify the kind of situations where RRI resonates with ongoing research practices. This may make RRI easier to implement. Second, the use of a practice perspective extends the scope of potential RRI interventions to become multi-sited, going beyond academia. Third, our research will introduce action research methods to engage DLN and related actors in a learning process.

Latest news from the project