Call for Contributions

Science-Peace-Security ’23’ Conference

Darmstadt, Germany| September 20-22, 2023

The interdisciplinary conference, co-organized by FONAS and TraCe, examines the impact, control and design of technologies which influence peace and security. Existing approaches towards arms control need to adapt to the changing security landscape, while new civilian and military technologies are changing forms of violence and warfare. Particularly striking areas are cyber warfare and the rapid development of unmanned weapons systems. Issues of nuclear disarmament, missile technology or space weaponry, as well as chemical and biological weapons, are gaining renewed urgency. In addition to the development of new weapons systems, information technology also plays a significant role in the oppression and digital surveillance of civilians during conflicts, and in policing urban space.

Aiming to network under authoritarian actors, civil society is increasingly using social media as a resource to organize cyber protests and to fight for human rights. Apart from acute use in conflict-related contexts, many cases illustrate that technology is increasingly being used by different actors for conflict transformation and to promote peace, aiming to reduce (political) violence in the long term.

Furthermore, the geopolitics of infrastructure, e.g., (renewable) energy and climate change is an urgent topic. Infrastructures are relevant in conflicts, can be manifestations of global injustice, strategic objects in armed conflicts as well as part of a peaceful conflict transformation. Thus, the conference seeks contributions which reflect on the geopolitics of infrastructure and their role

In general, all of these issues raise the question of the regulation and proliferation of security-relevant technologies as well as their design. These aspects influence who has access to certain technologies, who can benefit or faces risk by their use.

The interdisciplinary conference Science · Peace · Security ’23 aims to facilitate fruitful discussions on current and future challenges in the field of technical peace and conflict research. We seek contributions from the natural and technical sciences, the social and legal sciences, ethics and humanities.

They are looking for contributions on the intersection of science, technology, peace and security, e.g., on

  • Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons and Disarmament
  • Cyber and Information Warfare, Artificial Intelligence and Unmanned Weapon Systems
  • Geopolitics of Infrastructure, e.g. (Renewable) Energy and Climate Change
  • (Urban) Protest and Violence

They are looking for different types of contributions:

  • Idea pitches (5 minutes), e.g. of early stage research ideas, with subsequent discussion
  • Talks (10-20 minutes)
  • Posters to be presented with a 2-minute pitch and during a 90minutes interactive poster session
  • Ideas for panel discussions (for up to 5 already named participants) or workshops (30-90minutes)

Timeline and Procedure

The submission of title and abstract are possible through their submission system (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sps23) until the 15th of March 2023.

  • All authors of accepted contributions will be allowed to submit a paper for the conference proceedings, which are planned to be published electronically in open access (without costs) with TUprints.
  • In order to encourage face-to-face exchange, the conference will only be held as a physical conference in Darmstadt. However, if there are difficulties (e.g. health or visa issues, etc.), they can look for possibilities for partial digital participation.

For more information and the program, please their website.