Welcome to the 20th anniversary of the Swedish STS Conference that will be held at the Niagara building in Malm\u00f6, 10\u201312 juni 2026. It’s hosted by Malm\u00f6 University in collaboration with Lund University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The theme Cross-Pollinations, Contamination, Collaboration<\/em> invites contributions that address pressing global challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, warfare, infectious diseases and migration. The conference explores how cultures, technologies and disciplines interact in ongoing processes of exchange, how contamination shapes interdependence and accessibility, and how collaborations across boundaries can foster innovation and societal change. A particular strength of the STS field is its ability to critically examine both successes and failures of science and technology across their entire life cycle \u2013 from inception to everyday use and eventual decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collaboration is central to STS practice, often requiring interdisciplinarity and engagement across the traditional divide between natural sciences and the humanities. This conference will highlight how such collaborations can generate new methods, perspectives and models for engagement, while also interrogating the values that underpin them \u2013 who participates, what counts as legitimate knowledge, and how boundaries are maintained or transgressed. Without cross-pollination, contamination and collaboration with wider society, science risks losing relevance and legitimacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n