[ecrea] International Conference. The Power of Information. 20-23 January 2013

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Announcement *** call for participation *** call for abstracts
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The Power of Information

How Science and Technology can Make a Difference

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International Conference

Brussels, Belgium, January 20-23, 2013

Conference website: http://www.ThePowerofInformation.eu

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Background
++++++++++

Do we really know how information works?

Information has the power to change our lives. It can increase the 
quality of human experience, create new environments to realize our 
dreams and help us to get beyond problems that trouble our world.
In the last century Western culture gradually learned to see society as 
an “information society”.
Many are now convinced that we will all benefit from the systematic 
development of an “information economy”.



It is clear that the mere processing of information - and even the 
deployment of “Information and Communication Technologies” - does not 
necessarily produce the powerful “active information” that increases the 
quality of human experience, and opens new perspectives of action.



    * Listed information. Processing of information risks to remain the 
mere repetition, accumulation, re-grouping and dissemination of standard 
information listed on paper, film or digital media.
      “Listed information” may originally have been active as a 
clarifying and inspiring input into some specific context, but when 
listed and moved away from its living context, it is also stripped of 
its clarifying and inspiring power.
    * Active information. When we are looking for information that is 
active and guides and deepens our own experience, “listed information” 
can only play an inspiring role after some radical “re-interpretation” 
or “translation” (or “transfer”) to our own context.



For several decennia and more, we are developing information-intensive 
activities, explicitly targeted towards a direct impact on the way we live.



    * Innovation is promoted as a process that goes all the way, from 
information over new technologies to social change that improves the 
daily life of people.
    * Security efforts massively compile information into “intelligence 
systems” in order to protect people against crime and disasters.
    * Data protection and privacy efforts are promoting and enforcing 
mechanisms to avoid information reaching society in the wrong way and 
ultimately hindering people.



For each of these developments, we experience serious problems, 
opponents doubt whether the approach will ever be successful and 
proponents feel the need to intensify their efforts.



Focus of the conference
++++++++++++++++++++

The conference will focus on the question whether and how a better 
understanding of “active information”, as distinguished from “listed 
information”, can increase the impact and quality of major social 
efforts that make intensive use of information.



The conference will organize three tracks:

    * Innovation (ICT, Biotechnology,…)
    * Security
    * Data protection and privacy.

Each track will

    * bring together up-to-date insights about the success and problems 
of “active information”,
    * identify possible steps to increase the input and quality of 
“active information”.

Each track will be approached from a variety of different perspectives 
including science, engineering, and industry; policy-making and law; 
social studies, ethics and philosophy.



Who should attend?
++++++++++++++++

    * researchers in information-intensive disciplines (such as 
information technologies, biotechnology, security, privacy technologies,…)
    * social scientists, philosophers, and scholars in ethics of 
science and technology
    * economists
    * lawyers and legal analysts
    * decision makers and advisors in public policy
    * strategic thinkers and captains of industry
    * popular and scientific media
    * civil society groups



Topics
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Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:



1. Vertical topics. The three tracks of the conference

    * Innovation
      = Information Technologies (Ambient Intelligence, Ambient 
Assisted Living, automation, robotics, crowdsourcing,…)
      = Biotechnology (genetic information, pharmaceutics, 
pharmacogenomics, …)
      = General socio-economic structure (patents, intellectual 
property, economic growth, employment, equal access, e-Inclusion, fair 
distribution of wealth,…)
    * Security
      = Personal security (crime control, terrorism, intelligence 
building, data mining, video analytics, profiling, face recognition, 
hard and soft biometrics, crowd control,…)
      = Environmental security (natural disasters, accidents, 
catastrophes, earthquakes, seaquakes, prediction, risk assessment,…)
      = Human security (economic security, food security, health 
security, community security, political security,…)
    * Data protection and privacy
      = Secrecy (personal information, gossip, anonymity, cryptography, 
identity, company secrets, social privacy,…)
      = Seclusion (intrusion, harassment, controlling, surveillance, 
cyberbullying, spam, fishing,…)
      = Tensions (accountability, transparency, Wikileaks, …)
    * Any other case study that can clarify the situation in one or 
more of the 3 tracks.


2. Horizontal topics

    * Types of information
      “Listed information” versus “active information”, raw data versus 
data, information versus knowledge, knowledge versus wisdom, the 
“data-information-knowledge-wisdom pyramid”,…
    * Ethics and information
      Facts versus values, benefit of information, value-laden facts, 
dual use,…
    * Philosophy and information
      Embodied information, tacit knowledge, non-verbal paradigms, 
semantics, pragmatics, hermeneutics, M. Heidegger, P. Ricoeur, 
analytical philosophy, non-objectivity of information, Cl. Shannon,…
    * Any other topic that can clarify the situation of active 
information (relevance, problems with availability or quality, success 
stories,…)



Registration
++++++++++

As a participant you will learn about the relevance and problems of 
“active information” in the context of innovation, security and data 
protection. You will be able to get feedback about own opinions from 
other participants and speakers. You will develop a better understanding 
of how “active information” can be promoted in other contexts.
(To register: please read the information on the conference website.)



As a speaker you can present your professional approach or the results 
of your own research to international colleagues from different 
disciplines. You will get feedback from international colleagues. You 
can add links to your own work to the Strategy Document that will be 
finalized during the conference.

(To become a speaker, please send an abstract with your planned 
contribution to (abstracts.TBM2013 /at/ theIFB.eu). See more information below 
or on the conference website.)

Grants
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The European Commission has provided a budget that allows waiving the 
registration fee (including conference material, meals, and coffee 
breaks during the conference) for participants and speakers who are

    * coordinators of EU-funded projects addressing the social context 
of information-intensive research
    * leaders of work packages that address the ethical, social or 
legal aspects within a large-scale technological project.



A limited number of hotel grants and travel grants is available.

(To apply for a grant send an e-mail with relevant information to 
(grants.TBM2013 /at/ theIFB.eu))



Important Dates
+++++++++++++

5 December 2012: Deadline for submission of abstracts
19 December 2012: Acceptance notification
8 January 2013:  Formatted abstract



Abstracts
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Participants who want to present a lecture are requested to submit an 
abstract (of up to 1500 words) to (abstracts.TBM2013 /at/ theIFB.eu)



Abstracts clearly indicate in separate sections (a) the problem 
addressed, (b) the contribution of the applicant (c) the relevance of 
the problem and the contribution to the conference.



Identification data must be submitted on a separate page to allow for 
blind reviewing. Identification data include name, institution and 
contact information of the principal author and,– if applicable – 
information about the other authors and the research context.



Abstracts are preferably a targeted dissemination of on-going research 
or a targeted clarification of relevant professional activities.



Scientific Committee
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Guido Van Steendam (General Chair)
Professor KULeuven, Director IFB,
Leuven, Belgium



Syun Tutiya
Professor, National Institution for Academic Degrees and University 
Evaluation,
Tokyo, Japan



Cameron Richards
Professor, UTM Perdana School of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia



Ben Prickril
International Programs Officer, National Cancer Institute, NIH,
Rockville, MD, USA



Maurizio Salvi
Head of the Secretariat of the European Group on Ethics (EGE),
Member of the Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA),
European Commission



Ruth Chadwick
Professor, Director Cesagen,
Lancaster, UK



Juliet Lodge
Professor, Director Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence,
Leeds, UK



Stefano Rodotà
Professor, La Sapienza,
Rome, Italy



Acknowledgement
++++++++++++++++

The Conference is co-financed by the European Commission, DG Research,
Directorate Science, Economy and Society, Project Officer: Lino Paula,
Grant: ICTethics 230368



More information: (chair.TBM2013 /at/ theIFB.eu)
Network secretariat: The IFB, Craenendonck 15, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.






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