Social
relevance

Studying the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) is both socially and politically strategic. Given the important ramifications of this field of research, on the societal level and in terms of the individuals themselves, purely ad hoc or improvised work should be avoided. Moreover, STI plays a crucial role in a knowledge-based economy and society, where its impact can be felt in various spheres of social activity. This can be seen in the case of work and the environment, which is highly influenced by STI, or the case of education, where preoccupations regarding the content of teaching at all levels and students' paths are dependent on our knowledge of STI.

STI also permeates the political sphere. Each government develops and promotes specific science policies, and political decisions (e.g. fishing quotas and environmental protection) are based primarily on scientific results. Controversies surrounding science and technology frequently arise in the public sphere, and a variety of organizations contribute to the diffusion of scientific and technical culture in order to provide citizens with useful information, enabling them to take an informed position in an increasingly technological world.

Research
topics

The intellectual project of CIRST aims to better understand the interplay between various cognitive, intellectual, social, political and cultural dimensions of the production of scientific and technological knowledge. In addition, the Centre seeks a better understanding of the consequences of science and technology. A more complete grasp of how science is constructed allows its work to be put in perspective and marks out collective action undertaken in this field.

Originality

In order to accomplish these tasks, CIRST depends on three original perspectives and approaches, which distinguish it from similar centres elsewhere in the world.

(1) The first element is interdisciplinarity. As an object of study, science and technology can only be understood by utilizing and comparing the knowledge which arises from a wide variety of disciplines: philosophy, sociology, history, economics, political science, management and communication.

(2) A second fundamental characteristic of CIRST that contributes to its intellectual originality is the fact that its members study the chain linking the production of knowledge to innovation in its entirety. Indeed, similar research centres are usually focused on only one of the following axes: philosophy and history of science, scientific and technological production, or economic development and management of technology and innovation. CIRST chose to bring together researchers whose interests contribute to a holistic understanding of the chain connecting knowledge and innovation, including higher education (from community colleges to postdoctoral training), which contributes to a better grasp of the relationships between the various links. Analyzing these links has become a focal point of the centre, promoting a concerted effort among the members to shed light on this question.

(3) A third element revolves around the use of different methods and approaches, including many innovative tools from the field of scientometrics. With this in mind, CIRST formed a group devoted to the measurement of science and technology which is unique to Canada : l'Observatoire des sciences et technologies (OST). In fact, all Canadian institutions involved in one way or another in the management of science and technology have become members of the OST.

Mission

The work done at CIRST has always been structured around the mission established at its inception: the analysis of the development and impacts STI. This has constituted the backbone of the research done at CIRST for over twenty years.

Research
axes

The research programme at CIRST is divided among three distinct research axes or themes, which can be viewed as three crucial links in the knowledge-innovation chain.

1 - The production of knowledge and the relationships between epistemological and institutional frameworks

• 1.1 Knowledge and disciplines
• 1.2 The development of the social sciences and the humanities
• 1.3 Comparisons between disciplines and conceptual migrations

2 - The production, diffusion and appropriation of innovation and technology

• 2.1 Innovation systems: regulation and international comparisons
• 2.2 The evaluation and promotion of technologies
• 2.3 The collective and individual appropriation of sciences and technologies

3 - Structuring higher education and the training of skilled workers

• 3.1 The development and regulation of post-secondary institutions
• 3.2 The paths of students and the conditions which govern work and study in higher education