Description

Debating Responsible Technology: Foresight, Ethics and Innovation

In this 1.5-hour OFFLINE event, we explore what it means to take responsibility in the development and application of technology. From multiple perspectives, with a particular focus on foresight, ethics and innovation, we will engage in dialogue on the challenges and opportunities this theme entails.

The session opens with an introduction by Dr. Nikos Kastrinos (Global Governance Institute). His talk addresses the shift in foresight practice from ‘the ethics of the client’ toward a more universalist approach, shaped by debates on the Anthropocene and decolonization. This evolution, however, is far from settled: it remains a contested field where ethical positions continue to be negotiated.

Following this, Dr. Maya Van Leemput (Erasmus University College Brussels; Reelfutures), Prof. Dr. Seppe Segers (Ghent University) and Prof. Dr. Dimitri Schuurman (Ghent University)  join a moderated debate to further enrich the discussion. The format invites active exchange with an interdisciplinary audience of PhD candidates, students, researchers, professionals, and policymakers.  

About the panelists:

Dr. Nikos Kastrinos is Senior Fellow in the Global Education and Innovation section of Global Governance Insitute and former EU official at the Directorate General for Research, where he led foresight and strategic planning. He has advised EU Presidencies and the Greek Minister of Education, and works to integrate social sciences and humanities into policymaking. He serves on the board of the EU Staff Fund for a Fair and Sustainable Future and collaborates with the European Alliance for the Social Sciences and the Humanities and international futurist networks.

Dr. Maya Van Leemput is a futurist and Senior Researcher at the Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts, where she holds the UNESCO Chair “Images of the Futures & Co-creation.” She combines academic and creative practice through her Agence Future project, exploring imaginaries of the future via visual ethnography and co-creation. She is active in international futures networks, including the World Futures Studies Federation, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Plurality University.

Prof. Dr. Seppe Segers is Professor of Ethics and Moral Science at Ghent University. His research and teaching focus on theoretical and applied ethics, with a particular interest in feminist moral epistemology and ethical issues in reproductive health care and new medical technologies. He supervises doctoral and postdoctoral research on value theory and reproductive ethics, and serves as Senior Deputy of the ESHRE Special Interest Group Ethics and Law as well as member of Belgium’s Federal Embryo Commission.

Prof. Dr. Dimitri Schuurman is a visiting professor in strategic design and innovation management at Ghent University and a university business development manager at the research group imec-MICT-Ghent University. His work focuses on research related to inclusive design, impact via Living Labs, and design for futures, particularly in the context of new and emerging technologies. He is also affiliated with the European Network of Living Labs as a senior research strategist.

This event is made possible by Flanders: State of the Art, UGent Doctoral School and UGent Delta. 

Organized by the Societal Imagineering Lab (SIL), imec-mict-UGent.
More info: Ellen De Vos – ehidvos.devos@ugent.be.