CfP Research Workshop on Science, Technology, Society (STS)/History, Technology, Society (HTS): Bioeconomy, Biotechnology, Medical Technologies

Location: Historical Archive of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Dates: Thursday 19th and Friday 20th of April 2018
Organizers: Constantinos Morfakis and Katerina Vlantoni, Postdoctoral Fellows, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The workshop is organized in the context of the research project “The public debate on umbilical cord blood banking in Greece: Approaches from the interdisciplinary field Science, Technology, Society (STS)”. This project is funded by the Onassis Foundation and is hosted by the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. 

This 2-day research workshop will focus on recent approaches to biotechnology and medical technologies from the fields of Science, Technology, Society (STS) and History, Technology, Society (HTS). The emphasis is placed on the growing economy of biobanks, especially in connection to the bioeconomy of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking. The workshop will bring together scholars working on UCB biobanking and the STS/HTS research community.
We invite contributions from scholars who are interested in critical approaches to the theoretical framework and the methodology involved in STS/HTS perspectives on UCB biobanking.

Possible topics include:
  • Commercialization initiatives in UCB biobanking / the production of biovalue(s).
  • Ideologies of UCB biobanking.
  • Varieties of UCB biobanking institutional configurations and regulatory issues.
  • Public awareness and citizen participation in UCB donation/storage: the perspective of the voluntary donor, the organization of patient engagement, other non-expert involvement in UCB banking settings.
  • UCB biobanking in global, national and local media (newspapers, tv broadcasting, social media). The connection between media coverage/framing and UCB banking practices and health policies.
  • Futuristic discourses and science/technology forecasting of UCB bioeconomies: challenges, public health policies and cooperation strategies (e.g. the financial sustainability of UCB banks, the future value of UCB as inscribed in current banking configurations).
  • Big data issues in UCB banking settings.
  • Approaches to the use of UCB in therapeutic practices (allogeneic and autologous transplants) and regenerative medicine.


Structure of the research workshop: The workshop will consist of two parts. During the first part, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers will present their ongoing research projects on biomedical technologies and will discuss theoretical and methodological challenges with STS/HTS scholars. During the second part, the sessions will focus on theoretical reflections and empirical research regarding the configurations of UCB biobanking. Τhe workshop will additionally include a discussion with stakeholders active in the field of UCB biobanking in Greece. During the first day of the workshop, there will be a keynote speech (name: TBA).
Participation in the workshop is free of cost. A limited number of travel grants will be offered.
Proposals: Proposals should include an abstract (ca. 300 words) and a brief biographical note (ca. 100 words). Please indicate whether you are applying for a travel grant and the grant amount that you apply for. Proposals are to be submitted by email to sts.biobanks@phs.uoa.gr by December 10th of 2017.
You will be notified if your proposal has been accepted by January 12th of 2018.

If you have any questions, please contact the organizers at sts.biobanks@phs.uoa.gr.