En gruppe phd-studerende fra Danmark og UK (især i tilknytning til BIOS ved London School of Economics BIOS og til GRASPH, dvs. forskerskolen for folkesundhedsvidenskab ved KU, har taget initiativ til et DK-UK postgraduate forum on bio-studies, der har til formål at “further mutual understanding of the national, cross-national and cross-cultural dimensions of the field of bioscience, biotechnology, biomedicine and society, by enhancing understanding of how these themes emerge and take on different shapes in different localities”:
With developments in bioscience, biomedicine and biotechnology, a number of significant ethical, cultural and social issues have been raised that are of interest to researchers from a number of academic disciplines. Some of these issues concern how individual and collective identities are being reshaped by new knowledge, new technologies, and new practices within the biomedical field; how we understand life, and how this understanding reshapes practices and is being reshaped in contemporary societies; how this interplays with autonomy (particularly informed consent) ‘biological citizenship’, human dignity, and human nature.
The aim of the DK-UK Postgraduate Forum on Bio-studies is to further mutual understanding of the national, cross-national and cross-cultural dimensions of the field of bioscience, biotechnology, biomedicine and society, by enhancing understanding of how these themes emerge and take on different shapes in different localities. A major element in this network will therefore be comparative research and international exchange of research ideas and findings by providing a forum for younger academic researchers from a wide range of fields, including sociology, anthropology, political science, development studies, law, biomedical studies, etc. to engage with each other in a productive dialogue and creative environment.