Since September 2005 several research units in South-Eastern Europe (SEE), working in the field of Science and Technology Studies have joint their efforts in a networking project, aiming to boost their cooperation and the development of the field in region. The partners include Inter-University Research Centre For Technology, Work And Culture (IFZ), Graz Austria, Technology Studies Group at Institute of Sociology (TSG-IS), and Center for science studies and history of science at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Centre for Social Studies of Science (CSSS) at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Faculty of Architecture at the University of Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro), Institute of Economics at University “Ss Cyril and Methodius” (Republic of Macedonia) and Faculty of Mining, Geology, and Petroleum Engineering at University in Zagreb (Croatia). The project was supported by Program of Research cooperation and networking between Austria and SEE countries of Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

The partners have been motivated by the common understanding that development of South-Eastern European societies will require active strategies to better understand and manage technological change. This is undeniably true for the countries like Slovenia and Bulgaria, which are experiencing sustainable economic growth for more than a decade. In the two countries the introduction of new technologies and innovations is now on the agenda both of private sector and public governance. The development through technologies and innovations is becoming also critical issues for Western Balkans countries too, which after decade of wars and instability now are demonstrating and increasing rates of growth. The South-Eastern European countries’ adaptation to the knowledge-based economy will require substantial reforms in the inherited educational structures, in the national research organizations, new types of relationships between academic science and industry, including special policies in support of emerging new clusters of high-tech small and medium enterprises.

In most of the developed European countries the STS scholars have significantly advanced our understanding about science and technology and successfully mediate between civil society and various structures of governance helping the elaboration of relevant democratic policies towards science and technologies and the adequate articulation of emerging social and economic problems. These are ecological problems, the old and new types of pollution (among them low intensity radiation, spread of genetically modified biological species, global warming, etc.); problems of urban planning and transportation; search and introduction of new sources of energy, etc. Contrary to this in transitional South-Eastern European countries the environmental degradation and poor planning increase the sensitivity of ecosystems, making them more vulnerable in case of natural hazards. In some countries, the political transition towards a democratic system went hand in hand with institutional and societal vulnerability. In all these issues, as well as in transformation of countries’ research system and its opening towards the needs of new private industry and public sphere, the STS approach is especially relevant.

Due to the specific circumstances of the region’s recent history, STS studies there are still underdeveloped. In 1990s there were few research group or single scientists scattered over the region, which explicitly related their work with STS. It is only since of last decade when the researchers from Austria, Slovenia and Bulgaria have gradually begun to establish different forms of cooperation. During the last several years some researchers from Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia and FYR Macedonia are actively working on the field, seeking cooperation. Hence the objective of the project is to foster the exchange of the accumulated expertise in the field of Science and Technology Studies between the partner countries involved and to discuss the relevant theoretical approaches and research methods for interdisciplinary research. This objective also includes identification of the policy implications of STS approach and exchange of ideas for improving the relationships between emerging STS community in South-East Europe with civil society and the new structures of democratic governance.

To achieve these ends various activities are under way – regional research workshops, local policy events in partner countries (in the form of one-day seminar to meet local STS experts with policy makers, NGOs and media), establishing an interactive web-site for exchange of information among the partners and other relevant groups in the region and publication of volume with papers from the workshops and local events.

Regional Workshop on Science and Technology Studies In Southeastern Europe.

The 2005 workshop A workshop took place in November 25-26, 2005 at Koprivki Resort near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. More than 20 researchers and graduate students participated in the workshop from all partner countries. The work was organized in four regular and one ad hoc sessions. The session on Innovation Studies In South-East European Context discussed the role of STS researcher as expert adviser in the shaping of national innovation strategy (Franc Mali, University of Ljubljana), Innovation Policy in Croatia (Jasminka Lažnjak, University in Zagreb), and the notions of national and regional innovation systems in the context of SEE transition (Kostadinka Simeonova, BAS Center for Science Studies and Mimi Vassileva at TSG-IS). In the second session on STS perspectives on development Dejan Pendev from Economic Institute in Skopje, Macedonia presented his critical evaluation of the strategic plans for local economical development in the Republic of Macedonia, based on original understanding of entrepreneurial activities. The two other speakers in the session analyzed the global patterns of urban planning (Alexandra Stupar, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade) and NGO experience in improving public participation in urban planning (Danijela Milovanovic, Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade). The final paper of the session discussed the new graduate program on Development Studies at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences (Anton Kramberger).

The session on STS as research challenge discussed divers aspects of studying research end engineering practice. They varied from methodological problems of interdisciplinary research (Günter Getzinger, IFZ, Graz), the issues of sustainability in transforming socio-technical systems (Harald Rohracher, IFZ, Graz) through the policy strategies and practices of the agents in dual-use technologies in Bulgaria (Todor Galev, TSG-IS, Sofia) and an interesting STS analysis of the Bulgarian floods in 2005 as simultaneously political, engineering and physical phenomenon (Tihomir Mitev, TSG-IS, Sofia).

In the last session on STS in Biotechnologies and Medicine Bernhard Wieser (IFZ, Graz) analysed the Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Genome Research based on evidence from his study of Austrian Genome Research Program. Adelina Ilieva (Bulgarian Center for Bioethics) presented the research and mediation program of this newly established NGO. The Workshop also hosted ad hoc session, where graduate students from Plovdiv University have presented selected papers their summer practices on Sociology Of Large Technical Systems and Academic Spin-Of (industry-university relationships).

The network The network was initiated by researches from the TSG-IS in Sofia and is coordinated by the head of the group Dr. Ivan Tchalakov.[1] However, this project became possible because of the long-term research and networking efforts of IFZ in Graz, Austria. Our Austrian colleagues have already accumulated rich experiences in studying users’ involvement in innovation and participatory design, role of women in science and technology, environmental and ethical hazards of genetic technologies, etc. Apart from their research, since 1999 they are organizing the annual International Summer Academy on Technology Studies where eminent STS-researchers from all over the world gather for joint discussions. IFZ also runs an International Fellowship Program on STS via its Institute of Advance Studies on Science, Technology and Society. Since the establishment of the program about 10 researchers from South-Eastern Europe have visited IFZ, working on different STS projects of mutual interest.[2] The annual Alumni Conferences of IFZ-IAS fellows, held in Graz, are also helping to keep the established contacts alive and provoke ideas for further cooperation, one of which is the present project proposal.

More information on the STS-network and its partners can be found at the SEENet-STS Website (http://www.seen-sts.net/), designed by the Serbian partner at the Faculty of Architecture, Belgrade University – Alexandra Stupar and Daniela Milovanovich – and a book on “Governing Sociotechnical Change in South-Eastern Europe. Contributions from a Science and Technology Studies Perspective”, edited by Ivan Tchalakov, Franc Mali and Harald Rohracher. The book is due to be published by December 2006. Information about ordering can be requested from the editors (tchalakov@sociology.bas.bg, franc.mali@fdv.uni-lj.si, Rohracher@ifz.tugraz.at).

“Governing Sociotechnical Change in South-Eastern Europe. Contributions from a Science and Technology Studies Perspective”, East-West Publishers, Sofia, 2006

The book is the first attempt to present in common frame the development of Science and Technology Studies in the several countries in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and Central Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia) – the emergence and developments of research institutions, their programmes (projects, publications), the human potential, teaching curricula in the field of STS, policy initiatives. The second part of the book comprises eleven papers written by researchers participating in the network. The papers discuss theoretical and policy aspects of the concepts of national and regional innovation systems (H.Rohracher, K.Simeonova, F.Mali, M.Vassileva) and provide some empirical validation of these concepts in studying transformation of research and technologies the region since 1980 till the beginning of this century. The papers of Philip Spaet offers an account the emergence of so-called ‘Energy Regions” in Austria – their emergence, structures and patterns of development and relates his analysis with the notion of regional innovation systems. The paper of Todor Galev adds an interesting policy perspective, analysing the transformation of legal framework of STS policy in Buglaria. The paper of Ivan Tchalakov offer an overview of the different models of post-socialist economic transition and their sensitivity to address the problem of technological transformation in the region. The papers of two Serbian participants in the book offer and STS perspective to the problems of urban development, discussing such key issues as public participation in urban planning (Daniela Milovanovich) and role of technology in shaping the city landscape and helping their inhabitants to search for a “new kind of defense and a new mode of existence - creating its own limits and passivity, closing themselves into the real and virtual capsules” (Alexandra Stupar). Biomedical trend in STS is presented by paper of Assya Pascalev on Bulgarian Center of Bioetics and its activities. The book ends with interesting paper of Tihomir Mitev, providing and actor-network analysis of the flooding in Bulgaria in the summer of 2005.

Notes

1 TSG was established in 1999 with the aim to develop the research tradition of former Department of Sociology of Science and Technical Progress (1967-1991). Preceding activities of the members of the group include and ethnographic study of holographic laboratory (CLOSPI) at BAS (1993-1997), industrial comparative study of ICT in Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia and their effect on local industries (project TACTICS, EU IV Framework Program), dual-use technology policy in Bulgaria in 1990s, etc. The group consists of three researchers - Dr. Ivan Tchalakov (head of the group), Dr. Vassil Kirov and Dr. Svetla Koleva and three PhD students, working on Heterogeneous community in large technical systems: conditions for sustainability (Tihomir Mitev), Regional innovation system (Mimi Vassileva), Dual-use technologies in Bulgaria (Todor Galev). The later has successfully defended his PhD in November 2005. Since 2001 in collaboration with Department of Sociology at Plovdiv University the group has launched a research program on the forms of engagement of human actors in laboratory science and large technical systems. The program is seeking for establishing the conditions thank make possible a deeper ‘moral’ commitment towards the studied objects and served technical systems as precondition for human agents’ responsible behavior in critical situations.

2 Three of the team-leaders in the project, including the project coordinator, have been IFZ-IAS fellows.

The authors express their thanks to Harald Rohracher.