By: Liz Do
14 Sep, 2023
British Academy and CIFAR announce partnership on New Frontiers in Technology
September 14, 2023
The research supported by this new partnership will examine the potential of new and emerging technologies
The British Academy and CIFAR have announced a new collaboration building on their long-standing work together.
The partnership, on ‘New Frontiers in Technology’ will run for five years from 2023 and will support two CIFAR research programs: Innovation, Equity & the Future of Prosperity and Future Flourishing.
The Academy will provide £1 million in funding to advance work in the two programs, which seek to explore new technologies and systems that show promise for society, while examining their potential implications. The Academy’s support is provided under the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund, which is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity.
The research supported by this new partnership will examine the potential of new and emerging technologies to mediate between progress and opportunity, as well as future stagnation and stratification. It will also explore the cultural contexts in which the technologies of tomorrow emerge, drawing on lessons from the past to better understand the social, economic, and political constraints that determine future adoption.
“Emerging technologies hold enormous promise in mitigating the effects of society’s greatest challenges,” said Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy. “Because all technologies must respond to and are constrained by social, cultural and political contexts, they have an inextricable but often under-acknowledged relationship with the humanities and social sciences. Responsible innovation requires understanding and assessment of how new technologies impact and shape our world and our new collaboration with CIFAR will deepen that. We are delighted to partner with them to underpin research in this crucial area, which will have a lasting positive impact on people and the planet.”
“Our partnership with The British Academy further enables CIFAR to convene brilliant minds, across disciplines and borders, to answer some of the thorniest questions of our time,” said Stephen Toope, President and CEO of CIFAR. “This generous funding is a testament not only to the strength of our partnership, but to the calibre of CIFAR’s programming in social science and humanities research across two very different programs. Both Innovation, Equity & the Future of Prosperity and Future Flourishing are asking novel questions about the societal implications of emerging technologies and trying to conceptualize new governance structures for a more equitable future. This is critically important work.”
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