Objective
The emerging field of synthetic biology promises to engineer the living world. This is potentially extremely contentious, so scholars from the social sciences and humanities have been incorporated into synthetic biology research programmes from the outset. The ENLIFE project’s distinctive contribution will be to study both the engineering of biology and the role of social scientists within this. Its two objectives are: to investigate the movement of ideas, practices and promises from engineering into the life sciences, and to examine the ways in which social scientists and other groups are being mobilised as part of this endeavour.
We will carry out novel social scientific research into the engineering of living things, by collecting a rich body of empirical data. This will involve semi-structured qualitative interviews, participant observation at conferences, and ethnographic research in synthetic biology laboratories that are attempting to make biology easier to engineer. We will simultaneously address the interdisciplinary entanglements that arise in all these contexts, which involve scientists, engineers, social scientists, philosophers, lawyers and sometimes even artists and designers. We will also run four experimental interdisciplinary workshops, where we will explore the possibility of producing new knowledge together, across disciplinary divides.
The project aims to provide a critical, empirically grounded analysis of a field that promises to drive the next industrial revolution and is currently the target of high levels of investment across the globe. It will also provide insights into the engineering imagination, how it is applied to living things, and how it is challenged and expanded in interdisciplinary interactions. The study of these interactions will build on our understanding of the role of the social sciences in interdisciplinary collaborations, and contribute to pressing debates about the future of Science and Technology Studies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences synthetic biology
- social sciences political sciences political transitions revolutions
- social sciences sociology anthropology science and technology studies
- humanities
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2013-CoG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.