The Oxford debate: The Social Responsibility of Science in the International Context

On October 2, 2022, I had the opportunity to facilitate a debate at the University of Oxford titled: The Social Responsibility of Science in the International Context. Polish Perspective. The debate was a part of the Science: Polish Perspectives (SPP) conference in Oxford. It was a part of a series of events connecting the Polish scientific diaspora all over the world.

The panellists were:

• Dr Rafael Popped – the head of Łukasiewicz Network
• Prof. Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene
• Dr Dawid Kostecki – the head of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)

On the one hand, the number of scientific papers published globally has been significantly increasing each year. According to the research of Vincent Larivière and colleagues, it has doubled every 10-15 years since the 60s. On the other hand, we know that science is about something more than the sole production of knowledge. It’s also about contributing to society, ethics, and civic engagement. Baring that in mind, wee discussed various dimensions of social responsibility of science and good practices.