Responsible Life Science Policy between Public and Private Funding

The COVID-19 crisis has again emphasized the importance of science for a well-functioning global society. In particular, we now turn to life sciences for answers that could influence the whole human race, from our very survival to details about the development and management of resources. Thus, responsible life science policy is of global relevance. This raises new questions, such as how best to distribute a future vaccine, or what agents can be counted as blameworthy in cases of failure. This international, online workshop brings together experts to discuss one of the many new questions prompted by the current crisis, specifically, how are we to fund pandemic science? Is this best left to each country, or are multinational standards to be preferred? What role should be played by private companies, as opposed to national funding agencies? What kinds of healthcare inequalities follow from inequalities of funding?

The panel aims to bring together researchers and policymakers to discuss responsible life science policy from different perspectives. Specifically, the workshop will encourage dialogue among academics from Science and Technology Studies, Philosophy, Pharmacology, Industry, Sociology, and Science Policy.

The workshop will consist of 6 short talks by the keynote speakers, followed by an open roundtable discussion.

Confirmed participants (in alphabetical order):

Ivor Ralph Edwards (Uppsala Monitoring Center)

Manuela Fernández Pinto (Universidad de los Andes)

Rade Injac (Sandoz)

Sergio Sismondo (Queen’s University)

Jacob Stegenga (University of Cambridge)

Matthew Wallace (International Development Research Centre – IDRC)

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7480526452

Meeting ID: 748 052 6452

For more details, please see: https://forumadvise.wordpress.com/events/. The workshop is hosted by the Forum for Advancing Science and Education through Philosophy, together with the Weizsäcker Center of the University of Tübingen and the Centre for Philosophy of Science at the University of Geneva.