The Research Programme of WTMC is organised around three clusters of research questions. These clusters form the backbone of both the research and the PhD training programme of WTMC. The clusters are:

Diagnosis of the Modern Research System

This cluster focuses on the history of and contemporary dynamics of national and international research systems, such as the organization of universities, research funding and industrial R&D. Its key question is how the rise of new actors, levels and networks in the world of research has affected the research systems’ internal functioning and societal position. This is studied from historical, sociological and cultural perspectives, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Technological Development and Societal Regulation

This cluster centres on the role of technology in society. Its key questions are how technological systems and artefacts emerge and develop, and how these technologies affect society in the process of their embedding. The aim of such studies is to create new perspectives on the politics of technological culture, and to inform new ways of technology assessment.

Cultural Roles of Science, Technology and Rationality

This cluster focuses on the cultural and normative consequences of the intertwinement of science, technology and modern culture. Its key questions are how the boundaries between science, technology and society are generated, how the definitions of rationality have changed over time, and how science and technology are represented in politics, philosophy and fiction.